


Lost and Found

by LostWeasleyDaughter



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-12 00:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7913686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostWeasleyDaughter/pseuds/LostWeasleyDaughter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When DunBroch is attacked by dragons, Merida takes her brothers and flees, leaving her home behind. When they wash up on the shores of Berk She's offered a new life, and new beginning. Can she learn to live with the monsters that took her home, or will her demons come back to haunt her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Merida walked down the castle steps slowly, scanning the large group of energetic Scotsmen. It had been five years since the battle with Mor'du and Merida was now 21. She looked at the group of suitors, all enjoying their time. They all knew that, even now, Merida was not going to be held back by any man. They had come to terms with it. At first, Merida playing for her own hand was scandalous, princesses should be seen, not heard. But, with a little persuasion for Elinor, the other competitors complied, and those who didn't like it could seek another princess. However, Merida fighting for her own hand had caused more suitors to show up, and each year they were more and more promising.

This year they were all very handsome, Merida had to at least give them that. As Merida finished her descent and walked to the small stage where the thrones were set up. She took her place and folded her hands in her lap, smiling softly at the crowd. She cast a glance at her mother, who nodded softly. Merida stood up smoothly, hands still clasped in front of her.

"Tomorrow, will be a day fer events, but tonight, we feast!" The group cheered and mugs of mead were smacked together in toasts. The hall was filled, and Merida watched as her three brothers ran through the throng of people, leaving mischief in their wake. Merida shook her head and chortled lightly behind her hand watching the very drunk, and very confused, people try and figure out how they ended up on the ground, or tied to the person next to them.

The boys had grown, they were ten now, and sprouting like weeds. They were almost at tall as the 21 year old princess, and that was something she absolutely hated. They loved it though. They were growing and soon they'd be competing for princess's hands. Merida just hoped she'd put the fear of God in those three.

In the middle of the party, Merida began to feel unsteady. A twisting, knotting feeling formed in the pit of her stomach, earned from years of training. She looked to her dad, who was too drunk to feel anything. She sighed and found her mother, sitting beside Fergus at the head of a long table full of men. Merida walked up, unnoticed, and tapped her mother on the shoulder.

"Mum, something's wrong." Merida searched Elinor's eyes and found the same fear she felt.

"Aye. Merida, find yer brothers." Merida nodded and took off to find her brothers. She knew where they'd be. She heard Maudie's screaming before she even reached the kitchens.

"Boys! Come with me, now." Merida said sternly. The boys put down the rat and untied Maudie, hanging their heads. Merida groaned and pushed Hamish in front of her and she grabbed Hubert and Hariss' hands and drug them down the hallway back to the party. Merida stopped, feeling something in the air turn.

"Run." She said, her heart beating faster. They ran into the hall and Merida spotted their mother across the large room.

"Mum!" Merida called. Elinor looked up and opened her mouth to say something, but the roof of the room was peeled off, and a spray of fire coated the floor. Merida wrapped an arm around Hamish, and her grip on the other two tightened, not that she needed to, because they were clinging to her for dear life. A lithe body fell from the ceiling, followed by a few, much larger ones. The ceiling started to fall apart, crumbling and trapping a few people. She saw her dad run up and charge one of the beasts. The thing whipped around, its tail smashing into Fergus.

"Fergus!" Elinor yelled out

"Da!" Merida called. Elinor's eyes looked up sharply and Merida could see the fear in her mother's eyes.

"Merida, go!" Elinor cried to her daughter, who was now stepping toward the beasts tearing apart guests and the room. One of the creatures turned, icy blue eyes landing on the curly haired princess. She took a step back, and she could hear her heart beat in her ears.

"Merida! Run!" Elinor called. She threw a mug at the beast in front of her and it bounced off. But it irritated the thing, and it turned on the queen.

"Mum! Merida cried, reaching out a hand.

"Merida, get yer brothers out of here. Run!" Tears were falling down the queen's face as the creature was stepping toward her. Merida felt the tears running down her own face as she turned.

"A love all of yew!" Her mother called.

"We love yew too!" Merida called back before the four of them ran out of the dining hall.

They ran down a maze of halls, and out the back doors. She saw the stables were ablaze and she looked at her brothers.

"Stay. Here." The three nodded and Merida ran into the stables and opened the doors, setting all the horses free. She looked longingly, but she knew she couldn't take Angus. She went back to the boys.

"Harris, grab Hubert's hand, Hubert grab Hamish's, and Hamish, you take mine. We stay in a line. Do. Not. Let. Go. Do. Not. Stop. Running. Do yew understand?" The three boys nodded once again, lost for words. Merida cast one last glance at the castle that was now being torn apart, dozens of shadows attacking. Many more were starting to fly in and Merida knew she had to run now.

They took off, dodging fire, and falling debris. They weaved their way through the square just outside the castle, through the gates, and were heading to the forest when they were cut off by a giant beast landing in front of them. It stood taller than Mor'du, large horns protruding from its head. Beady eyes looked at them down a long snout and Merida took a few steps back. The beast stood higher and opened its wings before its entire body caught flame. Merida screamed and turned the other way and ran as fast as she could. She looked back at her brothers to make sure they were keeping up with her. She heard the waves rolling against the shore and Merida set her jaw.

She pulled the boys to the docks, her heart pounding in her ears. She reached the end of the dock, and pushed the boys onto a small emergency boat. She untied the boat from the dock and pushed it off before she jumped inside. They sat on the floor of the boat and pulled one of the blankets over themselves, hiding their vivid hair from anything that might see them. To any animal, or person, they would just look like a stray boat, nothing for them to worry about. Hamish, Hubert, and Harris sat in the boat, tears streaming down their faces. Merida pulled them into her body, holding them close as the four cried, mourning the loss of the only home they'd ever known.

Now they were stranded in the ocean, praying to whatever higher power was out there that they would land. It had been three days. Rations were tight, water was piddling away, and it was getting colder and colder every hour that passed. Merida's teeth chattered as she wrapped the blankets around her brothers, making sure that their ears were covered.

"Merida, ya need a blanket." Hamish said, looking up into her blue eyes.

"What A need, is for the three of yew ta stay safe."

"How are we gonna stay safe if yer frozen?" Harris said skeptically. Merida sighed and slowly crawled to where the boys were huddled together in the small boat. They opened their arms, enveloping Merida into the warmth they'd created under the blankets. Her body stopped shaking and she relaxed into their embrace. Soon, the four of them drifted into a dreamless sleep as their boat floated into colder and colder waters.

Hiccup walked through the village of Berk, trying to keep the tears from falling down his face. He quickly made his way to the beach, where the large statue of his father stood. Hiccup fell to his knees at the feet of his father, pounding his fist into the ground. He'd seen it coming for a while now. It'd been two months since he'd defeated Drago, and for a short time after that, his life with Astrid couldn't have been better. But, after about a week, she'd started drifting from him. She'd stay out late at night and sneak back into their house in the wee hours of the morning. She'd sneak around the village, disappear for hours on end, and she failed to be seen with Hiccup at delegations, or any public event. He played it off, refusing to believe that it could be true. But today, he found all the proof he needed.

'It was early morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Hiccup was running through the woods, looking behind him, his heart slamming against his chest. He weaved through trees, and leapt over fallen logs covered in moss. He groaned to himself as a thick fog began to set in. He knew he wasn't going to win. He looked behind him one more time, and was hit from the front.

A large, black dragon was sitting on his chest in a very proud manner, the blue glow under his scales coming out with his victory.

"Okay, okay bud! I get it! You win!" Hiccup said laughing as he tried to push the dragon off his stomach. Toothless' ears perked up, clearly hearing something that Hiccup didn't.

"What is it bud? Toothless?" Hiccup asked as the dragon jumped off his chest and ran in a quick circle in front of Hiccup, telling him he wanted to go somewhere. Hiccup jumped to his feet and followed his best friend. About two minutes of walking later Hiccup heard a familiar laugh. One that he hadn't heard in a long time. He crouched low and placed a hand on Toothless, who looked at his quizzically, but sat down none the less. Hiccup watched through the thickets at the scene in front of him.

In a clearing by a flowing river, Astrid lay sprawled out on her back, a smile on her face, as she watched Eret try and catch a fish with his sword.

"Come on, babe!" Astrid laughed out. Eret turned and scowled at her, but then laughed and got out of the river.

"Why don't you come show me how it's done, if it's so easy?" Eret said, crawling up to her. Hiccup saw something in Astrid's eyes that he'd never seen before. He saw excitement.

Hiccup watched as Eret crawled up Astrid's body. Leaning on his elbows for support Eret lowered himself inches from Astrid's face.

"And what if I don't?" Astrid asked, glancing from Eret's eyes to his lips.

"I'll have to do something drastic." Eret lowered his face to Astrid's, gently brushing his lips against hers. Astrid closed her eyes, and when Eret went to pull away, she arched her back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him back down to lose herself in him. And in that second, Hiccup finally realized where she was sneaking off to.'

It didn't really hurt, he saw it coming. But sitting here at the feet of his dad, feeling very alone, he'd give anything to Odin to have that statue talk to him, to place a large hand on his shoulder and gruffly give him advice in the form of a riddle. Even though his advice would usually confuse him to no end, he missed it. Yeah, he had his mom to confide in, but with something like this, he didn't think it'd be a good idea to tell the ever impulsive Valka.

Hiccup stood up and sighed, raking a hand through his hair. He needed to find Toothless. At the sound of beating wings, he knew it wasn't his dragon that was landing in front of him. He glanced up and saw Astrid and Eret, and felt sudden anger that the large man was landing Skullcrusher, his father's dragon.

"Hey Hic!" Astrid said, climbing off Stormfly and making her way to him. Hiccup looked at her with a blank face.

"What's wrong buddy?" Eret said, going to slap him on the back. Hiccup sidestepped, causing Eret to stumble forward a little bit.

"Hiccup, what's wrong?"

"Astrid, we need to talk."

"Okay? Let's go back home and-"

"No. Listen. Tonight I'm going to my house."

"Your house? Hiccup what's going on?"

"I think you'd be more comfortable at Erets." Hiccup said softly. Astrid narrowed her eyes, getting angry.

"What are you talking about Hiccup?" She folded her arms across her chest.

"Astrid, I know why you've been so distant. I know why we're drifting apart. I saw you and Eret today."

"So? We hang out. That's what friends do." Astrid replied cooly.

"Astrid, friends don't kiss each other." Hiccup sighed. "I know you don't want this relationship to fall apart. I know you're trying. But, Astrid, I'm not making you happy anymore. I can't give you what you want, and that's not fair to me, or you. Pretending like this relationship is going anywhere is wrong, and you know it."

"Hiccup…" Astrid said, squeezing her eyes closed. "This is not how I wanted you to find out. I- we, were going to tell you, but…"

"Astrid, look, I really…" something in the distance caught Hiccups eye. It looked like a little boat was floating to shore. As it got closer, something inside the boat caught Hiccup's eye. He saw a tuft of red sticking just over the edge of the boat, and it moved a little bit. Hiccups breath caught in his throat. There was a person in that boat, and who knew how long they'd been there.

"Astrid, we'll talk about this later. I'm happy for you, I really am." Hiccup said quickly before he took off toward the beach. Hiccup ran into the water and dove in. He swam to the boat and pulled it the rest of the way to shore. He looked in the boat and was met with fierce blue eyes glaring up at him. It was a woman, about his age, and thee younger boys behind her, huddled together in a blanket. The girl's lips were blue and her cheeks were flushed. Her red hair was sticking out at odd angles and the skin was peeling off her lips.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help you." He looked over to Astrid and Eret, who were walking toward them. The girl narrowed her eyes more and then glanced at her brothers who were looking at Hiccup curiously. Nothing was twisting in her stomach, she had no alarms going off in her head.

Hiccup saw her visibly relax.

"A swear, if yew try ta hurt them, A'll kill yew myself." Merida said threateningly. Hiccup held out a soggy hand to Merida who slapped it away and climbed out of the small boat. She pulled her brothers from the boat, checking them over for any bumps and bruises. She turned around, and let out a blood curdling scream.

"Get back in the boat!" She turned around and tried to shove her brothers into the boat. Hiccup grabbed her arm.

"Woah, just calm down. Just, relax. They're not going to hurt you. I promise." Merida searched his eyes frantically. Hiccup placed a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Trust me." He saw something in her eyes melt and she nodded.

"Okay, but if et hurts them…"

"They won't." Hiccup assured her. She bit her lip and nodded.

"Alright boys, get away from the boat." The boys shuffled to Merida and they looked at the large reptiles in front of them, their eyes full of excitement.

"Alright, let's go back to my place and talk." Hiccup said, leading Merida and her brothers to his house, leaving Astrid and Eret to watch helplessly as he walked away.


	2. Chapter Two

Merida sat at a table in a large, two story house that sat on a peak overlooking the island. Right now she was waiting for Hiccup to return. He had brought the boys upstairs and laid them out some cots for them to sleep. Still being fairly early in the morning Merida thought it'd be best for the boys to get some real sleep for a while.

Hiccup climbed down the ladder and walked to the table where Merida was sitting, taking in her surroundings. He had to admit, it was pretty intimidating thanks to Astrid's decorating.

When you walked through the door you were in the living area, a few benches and chairs set up lining the perimeter of the room with table sitting in the middle. To your left was the ladder to go upstairs to the main bedroom area, and to the right was the kitchen and dining area. A large table sat in the corner with bench seating, and a large fire pit was set up next to the wash bay. There were two doors in the living area, one led to a guest room, and the other led to the bathroom. The walls were adorned with nets full of objects, knick knacks, and weapons, swords, bows, daggers.

Hiccup sat at the table across from Merida, placing his hands on the wooden surface.

"So, are you going to tell me who you are?" Hiccup asked softly. Merida looked past him at the walls behind him.

"Yah might want ta put those somewhere else." She said, gesturing toward the weapons on the walls.

"Why?" Hiccup asked, brow quirked.

"Mah brothers are wee devils, they could get away with murder." Merida said, a light smile playing on her lips.

"Noted." Hiccup chuckled. "So, what's your name?" Merida sighed. There was no use hiding who she was, was there? If her home was burnt down, someone needed to know.

"A'm Merida, Princess of Dun'broch. The three devils are Hamish, Harris, and Hubert." Hiccup nodded slowly, taking in the information.

"Dun'broch? Isn't that in Scotland?"

"Aye."

"Why are you all the way out here?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"A'd like ta speak ta yer chief. I'd be more comfortable talking to them than some stranger."

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Hiccup Haddock, chief of the Harry Hooligans tribe." Merida laughed, shaking her head and holding her sides.

"You? Yer just a wee lamb! Where's the man from the statue on the beach?" Merida asked, gaining her composure.

"That's my dad… He, passed, about two months ago." Merida's face hardened.

"A'm sorry. A, A didnae know."

"It's okay. I'm not much compared to him, am I?" Hiccup asked, more to himself than anyone. Merida realized this and didn't answer his question, instead she answered his.

"Dun'broch was attaked, about four days ago. We were celibratin' an anniversary, everyone was there. We were also preparin' for the fight for mah hand." Hiccup looked at her confused.

"Every year, since A was sixteen, princes, sons of chiefs, barrons, whatever noble family, would come from all over ta fight for mah hand. Five years ago A fought fer mah own hand, which started a whole train of events, and ended with the killing of a monstrous bear that had been terrorizin' mah land for a very long time. Et even took mah dad's leg when I was a wee lass. Since that night, every year we'd celebrate, and many more men came for mah hand, and each year A'd fight for mah own hand.

"This year was different though. We didnae get ta compete. The night before, the celebration night, we had a big feast in honor of all the competitors. Et was, off, yah know? A could feel that somethin' was wrong. My mum told me ta find mah brothers, and when A did the castle was attacked. I got back to everyone in time ta see the roof bein' ripped apart. Fire sprayed everywhere. People were dyin' around me. My dad and mum saved us, and A took the boys and ran. The castle was destroyed, and so was the village. We ran ta the docks. We have emergency boats just in case somethin' happened." Merida looked at her hands the whole time, refusing to let the tears stinging her eyes fall.

"Do you know who attacked you?"

"Et wasn' a who. Et was a whole mess of, of those things from the beach. They attacked the castle, with no sound. A ran inta one who burst inta flames."

"Wait, your castle was attacked by dragons?"

"Aye." Hiccup's brow furrowed in thought. He stood up quickly and began pacing the room.

"But that's not possible. I've never heard of dragons being so far out there. This means, this means that there could be a whole new species that we don't know of! This is amazing!" Hiccup turned around, flinging his hands toward the ground and locked eyes with Merida, who was watching him with an apprehensive expression.

"Sorry, I just… yeah." Hiccup said, rubbing his neck. Merida nodded her head and sighed. Hiccup took his seat across from Merida and looked at her.

"So, being new here, I'm obliged to tell you about Berk." Merida looked up at him. "We're twelve days north of hopeless, and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. It snows nine months of the year-and hails the other three, boasting the kind of balmy fun in the sun climate that will give you frostbite on your spleen. Right now it's a bit trampled, and busted, and covered in ice, but it's home. And while most places have sheep, or cats, or dogs for pets we, well, we have dragons."

"Yer all crazy." Merida said shaking her head. Hiccup sighed. He stood up and walked to the opposite side of the table. Hiccup paused and thought about something for a second before he grabbed her hand.

"Where are yah takin' me Hiccup?" Merida asked.

"To show you someone." Hiccup said determined. He knew that Toothless was going to be on the roof, that's where he usually sat as he over looked the happenings of Berk. When Hiccup stepped out of the house, Toothless jumped down in front of him, excitedly bobbing his head in anticipation. Hiccup got closer to Toothless and he felt Merida try and pull her arm out of his grip, but it only tightened.

"Hiccup, what are yah doin?" She asked nervously.

"I told you, I'm introducing you to someone. Merida, this is Toothless, my dragon. Bud, this is Merida." Toothless looked around Hiccup with curious eyes and when they landed on Merida his face split into a toothless grin.

Merida felt her heart melt, for a reptile, he was pretty cute. But when Hiccup moved her hand closer to the animal, she started to freak out. Toothless sensed this, and started eyeing her a little differently and Merida felt like she was being sized up.

"Merida, calm down. Trust me. Please." Hiccup looked at Merida and she let out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes and stretched her arm out. Toothless looked at it for a second before he nuzzled into her touch. Merida's eyes snapped open and she looked at the dragon astonished. She smiled and looked up at Hiccup, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Hiccup's smiled back down at her before he mounted the dragon, clicking his foot in place. He grabbed Merida's hand and pulled her behind him and, without Merida time to object, took off into the sky.

Merida's screech echoed through Berk and she clung to Hiccup for dear life.

"What are yah doin? Take me back down! Right now!" Merida's cries fell on deaf ears as Hiccup led Toothless higher and higher into the sky. Merida pounded on his back, pulled at his arms, but Hiccup ignored her protests. The trio burst through the clouds, the sun painting the clouds pink with light. Hiccup heard Merida gasp at the sight in front of her. She held her hand out and it passed through the cloud. Merida laughed and sucked in the sweet air. Hiccup turned back to look at her, and his breath caught in his throat.

Merida sat behind him arms outstretched, eyes closed, with a soft, peaceful smile on her lips. Dew was stuck to her curls, glimmering in the light, casting rainbows to glow around her. Hiccup smiled to himself, trying to push down the feelings he couldn't have for this stranger.

"Dragons have saved Berk more than once, and for that all of us are in debt… But it wasn't always like that." Hiccup said, laying on his elbows on the edge of an isolated sea stack, looking out at the ocean. He, Merida, and Toothless had flew for a while, Toothless swirling and diving as he please, paying no attention to the complaints from both of the riders. After an hour of flying, and finally getting Merida comfortable with the dragon, they landed.

"Really?" Merida asked, flipping over onto her stomach, making sure she crossed her ankles like a proper lady.

"Yeah. Dragons would attack Berk, destroy our houses, take our livestock, and killed many of our inhabitants. We were always at war, if not with another tribe, then with the dragons. I was, well I was scrawny."

"Yew? Never." Merida jabbed. Hiccup shook his head and continued.

"I always seemed to get in the way. My dad put me in the forge. But, being the son of a chief made me feel like I needed to do something more. I'd always try and help during a dragon raid, but I'd always be put back in the forge to repair weapons, or make more arrows. It was annoying, and I felt useless.

"One night, on a particularly bad dragon raid, I was determined to help. But, yet again, I was put back into the forge. My teacher, a man named Gobber who you'll meet later today, went to go fight with them and left me alone. That night there was a particularly deadly dragon, a Night Fury showed. Night Fury's are the unholy offspring of lightening and death itself, and they never miss their target. On that night, neither did I. I had made a weapon that would take down any dragon, and when I saw the Night Fury I knew it was my only chance to make a name for myself.

"You see, no one had even seen a Night Fury, and in all the books, all the legends, if you were to see a Night Fury you were supposed to run, and pray to the Gods that it didn't find you. But I, Hiccup, the one thought not capable of anything, did it. I tried to tell people about it, that I'd shot one down, but they didn't believe me and, to be honest, there was a part of me that didn't believe it either. But the morning after I went looking for him. I found him in the woods, tied up in the net. I went to kill him so I could bring him back to the village and prove my worth, but when I looked into his eyes, I couldn't do it, and I knew that I'd never be able to kill a dragon. I let him go, and he pounced on me. I thought, for sure, I was going to die, but instead of attacking me he just roared in my face, scaring me to death, before he took off.

"In the meantime, I was put into the Dragon Academy, a place where Vikings were trained to kill and fight off dragons. My dad said that I needed to know how to be a proper Viking. I was placed in the class with five other kids, really the only other kids my age in the village. They were proper Vikings, each one muscular and ruthless. They were ready to take on any task assigned, while I, on the other hand, would have rather been anywhere but there. The first two weeks were hell, I was constantly teased, always the butt of the jokes, always in the way. But all that changed.

"I was going through the woods one afternoon on my day off of training, when I heard a noise coming from a gorge. I went to the edge to check it out, and was astounded to find the Night Fury was in there. I tried to carefully get a better look, I made it down the gorge safe, but misplaced my foot and snapped a twig. It caught the attention of the dragon and caused him to give me unwanted attention. When he realized I wasn't a threat, he left me alone, not caring at all about my presence.

"As the weeks passed, I learned more about the dragon, and used what I learned in the Dragon Academy to keep the dragons at bay without harming them. It gained me a lot of attention, going from the worst in the class to the best. One day in particular I was studying the dragon, sketching him in the Book of Dragons, when I noticed something strange. He only had one tailfin. I noticed that when I saw the dragon try to fly out of the gorge. He couldn't stay at altitude without it, and that's when the idea struck me. I quickly made my way to the village, and the forge. It took me a while to figure out the exact measurements and construction of it, but within a week I had figured it out. I strapped the tailfin on the dragon and with that, he was off."

"Hiccup," Merida said, looking back at Toothless, "is the dragon yer describin' Toothless?" Merida asked, eyeing Toothless's tail. Hiccup smiled, knowing that sooner or later she'd figure it out.

"Yes, now, let me finish the story." Merida nodded, still watching the playful dragon, who was now doodling in the sand with a log.

"Anyway, that first flight was amazing, and after that, I was hooked. I'd never felt more alive than when I was on Toothless. Every night I would go out to ride him, but being under scrutiny from the other teenagers, it was dangerous. One night, I went out into the woods, and a girl, Astrid, was training, or something, when I passed. She was especially upset with me, because I had been granted the First Kill, a blessing bestowed upon one of the academy students who was at the top of the class. Astrid had been at the top, but in a single challenge I had passed her, and she didn't like it.

"When she saw me in the woods that night she followed me, questioning why I was out there, but I couldn't let her know about Toothless, it'd wreck everything, and she still was against dragons. I couldn't risk her killing him. So I tried to hide him, but we ended up in the gorge with Toothless, introduced himself in all his dragon glory. She tried to run back to the village but Toothless and I got to her in time. We did the same thing that we did with you, took her for a ride. But Astrid's ride was a little more, exciting.

"While we were flying, we found a group of dragons. We decided to follow them, and they led us to Dragon Island. It was an island with a volcano like structure in the middle cloaked in fog and darkness. It was eerie, and gave me a twisting feeling in my stomach. Toothless flew us into the volcano and we watched from a ledge as the dragons dumped their food into the void. We were confused until a Gronckle tried to get away with a half-eaten fish. When the fish disappeared, a giant, red dragon, appeared, and ate the Gronckle in a single snap of his teeth. All the rest of the dragons started flying, and we barely made it out of there alive.

"The next day was the day I had to kill a dragon, and things were going great, until I announced that I wasn't going to kill it. I tried to train it, tried to show them that dragons weren't a problem, but my dad knocked the cage and scared the dragon. I was in trouble, and I guess Toothless sensed it too, because right before the dragon was going to pounce, Toothless bust through the gates and jumped on it, saving my life. That's when hell broke loose.

"My dad and all the villagers surrounded Toothless and I, and when I tried to defend him, I let it slip that he'd brought us to the island. He tied up Toothless, and disowned me as his son. I was broken, but I knew that I needed to do something. Astrid and I wrangled up the rest of the teenagers, and I showed them how to ride the dragons. Within a half hour we were off and headed to Dragon Island.

"When we got there it was a disaster. The large red dragon, we named the Red Death, was on the beach, and many Vikings were trying, but failing, at fighting the beast. All of the ships were on fire, and I saw Toothless, defenseless, on a ship about to sink. I got dropped off and tried to save him, but we sank to the bottom. I vaguely remember feeling large arms pull me out of the water, and when I woke up I saw my dad going back under the water. I can only assume he'd freed Toothless, because within a minute they zoomed from the bottom and broke the surface. My dad looked at me and apologized for what he'd said to me, and to be careful. And after years of hearing it, I told him that it was an 'occupational hazard' and took off.

"We got the dragon distracted, but it did us no good. It controlled the other dragons, sending them on a rampage. Toothless and I got the dragon in the air, we weaved in and out of sea stacks, and climbed into the sky. We hid in the dark clouds and attacked the Red Death, but it was smart. The dragon spun all around, causing a rain of fire to spray down on us. Toothless's tailfin caught fire, and we only had one option left. We dove back down toward the island, the Red Death on our tail. At the last second we turned on the dragon. The Red Death opened its mouth, filling it with combustible gas. Toothless fired a blast into its mouth, causing it to crash into the ground and explode. We flew as fast as we could, weaving in and out of spikes, but the tailfin was already gone. We reached the end of the Red Death, and then we saw it. The large, spiked tail came out of nowhere. It crashed down on us, sending us back into the flame." Merida gasped and Hiccup nodded. "I woke up three days later, and my dad told me that Toothless had wrapped me up in his wings and took the brunt of the fire, and landing, but you just had to get even, huh bud? Couldn't save all of me?" Hiccup laughed as Toothless jumped on the Viking, play batting at his face.

As the boys rough housed, Merida looked at Hiccup and noticed that he was missing a foot. She sighed as she sat up. She grabbed her knees and pulled them into her chest. While listening to Hiccup's story, she understood, she understood why they loved the dragons, but there was this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she suddenly felt terrible. Hiccup stopped playing with Toothless, a worried expression on his face.

"Merida," he said standing up, wiping the dragon spit off himself, "what's wrong?"

"Yer story was amazin', et really was Hiccup, but A can't help but feelin' like mah dad would have loved et too. A just, A wish A knew what happened ta them." Hiccup placed a soft hand on her shoulder and Merida looked up at him, blue eyes full of a sadness Hiccup knew all too well.

"I think we should get back to Berk." Merida nodded and stood up. The two of them mounted Toothless, and made their way to the village. They landed back at Hiccup's house, Toothless taking his place back on the roof. Merida walked inside took her seat back at the table. Hiccup went to check up on the sleeping triplets and came down, worry etched into his face.

"What is it?" Merida asked, instantly on her feet.

"They're not in bed."

"What dae yah mean they're not in bed?" Merida yelled, throwing the door open and running outside. She cupped her hands over her mouth and ran through the village, yelling for her brothers.

"Hamish! Harris! Hubert! A swear, if yah don' get out here, right now, when A find yah you won' have ta worry about anyone else killin' yah!" There was a crash from across the village and Merida took off in that direction, Hiccup on her heels.

They ended up at the academy, the metal dome ringing from something hitting it. Merida stopped just short of the entrance, which was wide open. Hiccup, however, ran straight through, stepping on a wire that caused a barrel of fish guts and bones to cover the Viking. Merida laughed, dropping to the floor as she held her sides. Three pairs of feet pittered on the ground and they tackled Merida.

"Oh boys, don' dae that ta me again!"

"Sorry Mer."

"We didnae mean ta scare yah."

"But we found friends!" the boys said, their eyes lighting up. Merida looked up to see two people, about her age, high five each other. One was a girl, her hair a dirty blonde hair tied in two braids thrown over her shoulder, a metal helmet donned her head, with four large horns stuck out the sides, while smaller horns lined the center of her scalp. She was pretty, not overly so, but a natural beauty that you couldn't replicate with makeup. She had a basic figure, small curves, and long appendages. She wore a crème fur vest and a grey top underneath. A green skirt was wrapped around her waist and brown leggings were underneath, Merida figured that they were for warmth. Grey arm wraps went up past her elbows and she wore dark grey, fuzzy boots.

The boy standing next to her looked similar, a long face, and very lanky, but with a more round nose and chin. He was muscular, but not much, smaller than Hiccup Merida noted. His hair was the same dirty blonde as, she presumed, his sister's, but instead of braids his hair was in dreadlocks. His helmet was similar to his sisters, but with larger bottom horns, tips down. He wore a dark grey, presumably wolf, fur vest with armor plates in the shoulders with a plate of spikes on one shoulder. A grey tunic was under the vest and under the tunic was a pair of dark green pants that led to a pair of metal plated boots.

"That was awesome little dudes!" The man said, running up to the triplets, each receiving a high five. Hiccup brushed off as much as he could from himself before helping Merida to her feet.

"Ruff, Tuff, this is Merida and her brothers, who I believe you've already met." Hiccup said, gesturing to the redhead next to him.

"These little dudes are awesome! That was their set up." Ruff said pointing to the contraption the boys put together. Hiccup inspected it with admariation while Merida glared at the boys.

"Must yew make trouble?"

"But Mer!" Hamish exclaimed.

"No, no, it's alright. Things like this always happen with Ruff and Tuff here." Hiccup explained to the angry Scott. Merida sighed. "Though, usually they end up in fights." Merida threw her hands into the air.

"Yes, that's who A want mah brother's ta be around…"

"Merida."

"Please!"

"We'll be careful!" The boys pleaded, giving Merida the best puppy-dog eyes they could muster, their green eyes pleading with their older sister. She gave the two adults an apprehensive look before she grabbed them each by the collar.

"If they come ta me hurt, A'm comin' after yah, and yer pelts will hangin' on the wall." Merida glared at the twins. They each held up their right hand.

"They'll be fine," Tuffnut said.

"Scouts honor." Ruffnut finished for her brother. Merida nodded and turned back to her brothers.

"Now, be back ta the house by nighfall. If yer not there-" Merida didn't get a chance to finish, because they were all gone.

Tuffnut looked at his sister, a grin plastered on his face as he looked at the three new trouble makers in Berk.

"We're not even scouts."

"She doesn't know that." Ruffnut smirked at Tuff, who let out a laugh as they continued to show the boys the best hiding spots in berk.


	3. Chapter Three

After Merida made sure her brothers were safe, well safer, Hiccup decided it'd be a perfect time to introduce her to the village. He looked at the sun, he had just enough time before Dragon Training to do it too. Hiccup placed a hand on her elbow and she looked at him.

"If the princess would like, I can show you around the village."

"Well, the princess is curious…" Merida gave Hiccup a mischievous smile and Hiccup smiled back down at her.

"Well, alright then. Let's get started." Hiccup guided Merida away from the training arena and toward the center of the town.

"Our first stop is the forge, which is now the dragon dentistry, run by a good friend of my fathers, Gobber." They stepped into the small shed through the back door. Merida took everything in, the equipment hanging on the walls, the metal teeth for different dragons. A small forge was in the corner, and working at that forge was a small, stout man with a long, braided, blonde mustache. Merida quickly noticed that he was missing a leg and that in place of one hand, there was a metal hammer. He turned around and grinned from ear to ear.

"Hiccup! I'm glad you're here! The saddle shop has been busy all morning! Where have yah been my boy?" Hiccup was wrapped up in two large arms and picked up off the ground, which surprised Merida, because the man looked hefty, but not really strong. Then again, he was a Viking, and they were just full of surprises. When Gobber set Hiccup down, and he regained the ability to breathe, Hiccup introduced Merida.

"Gobber, I wasn't in the saddle shop, and I'm not going to be there all day. This morning we got some, unexpected guests. May I introduce you to Merida Dun'broch."

"Dun'broch? Are you related ta Fergus, by any chance?" Merida smiled sadly.

"Yes, A'm the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor, the, uh, late, King Fergus and Queen Elinor…" Merida cast her face to the ground, squeezing her hands behind her back.

"Merida, you don't know that." Hiccup said softly.

"I, uh, think I'm missin' somethin' here." Gobber said looking between the two of them.

"Oh, right." Hiccup explained what Merida had described to him earlier that morning and Gobber's usual chipper mood was shadowed by the deep frown on his face.

"I'm sorry ta hear that princess."

"Merida, please. Call me Merida. So, Gobber?" he nodded and she continued. "How did yah know mah dad?"

"Fergus, Stoick and I go way back. We all fought for your mom's hand actually." Merida's eyes furrowed together.

"But weren't we at war with the Vikings at that time?"

"Yep, and us fighting for your mother's hand is what ultimately brought us together." Merida nodded her head slowly as the wheels turned in her head.

"A think mah dad actually was plannin' on comin' here soon ta visit. He had said somethin' about seein' old friends." Merida smiled at the man whose eyes light up.

"Well, it's nice to know we weren't forgotten!" Gobber laughed. Hiccup smiled at the pair and cleared his throat.

"Well, I've got to show Merida around before Dragon Training." Hiccup said, leading her toward the door.

"It was nice meetin' yah princess!" Gobber waved and Merida gave a small wave back before the door slammed behind her. Gobber shook his head and sighed.

"That boy never gets a break…"

"Well, that was nice." Merida said as Hiccup pulled her through the town. He had shown her all around and she'd met many people, not nearly as many as there had been in Dun'broch, but quite a few. Now that they were walking from one side of the village to the other, a smile plastered on Hiccup's face.

"Where are we goin' Hiccup?"

"There's one more person you need to meet." Hiccup stopped in front of a small house, big enough for one or two people to live in. It was a neat little house, with an overflowing garden in the front, and probably in the back as well. There was a large stained glass window that took about half of the front of the house and, when Merida got a closer look, she could see that the wood that made the house was repurposed. It was quite beautiful.

Hiccup knocked on the door, and when he got no answer he cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a loud howl that echoed through the village.

"What was that all about?" Merida asked, one brow raised. Hiccup didn't respond, looking up at the sky. Merida looked up as well and saw a dot appear on the horizon. The dot continued to get larger as it flew faster toward the island. Soon, Merida could made out the shape of a multi winged dragon, the silhouette of a rider standing on its back. Soon they landed, and Merida was in awe of the dragon in front of her. It was large, a cool grey base with tan wings. It had horns that made it look like the dragon had a permanent scowl, and little red plates of bone lined the center of the skull from where the two horns met. Behind its horns were two large flaps of skin, resembling a bearded dragon. A vivid red hue lined the skin and horns. Small spikes were on the edge of each wing, ran along the dragon's spine. The dragon rider jumped off the dragon and removed their helmet.

"Mom!"

"Hiccup!" the woman smiled, wrapping her arms around Hiccup. She wore a large suit of armor that made her look masculine. The top was brown leather wrapped layers with a large fur hood. There were armor plates like the ones the dragon had on the shoulders of the armor. On her right arm there was a small blue symbol that Merida couldn't really make out. She wore brown leather pants with matching shoes, small spikes running along the outer sides. Her helmet was the same blue as the design on her arm, with what resembled tusks protruding from the front and a fan of spikes made a crown on the top. She had a long, soft face. Her nose was small and pointed up at the end. She had warm blue-green eyes and long auburn hair that was tied back in a braid. Her smile lit up her face and was very infectious.

She released Hiccup and turned to look at Merida. She blinked a few times, the wheels turning in her eyes. Merida quirked an eyebrow at the woman, whose face split into a wide grin.

"Don't tell me Elinor actually married Fergus." Valka said. Hiccup looked at his mother.

"How do you know her parents, mom?"

"Elinor and A grew up together. We were best friends. When she married Fergus A was there. She sent pictures of you Merida. Yah look just like yer mother." Then her smile faltered. "Wait, why are yah here dear?" Merida chewed her lip.

"Dun'broch was attacked. A got mah brothers out, but mah parents-" her voice broke, "A don't know what happened to them." A sadness filled Valka's eyes and she enveloped Merida into her arms and held her tight. After a few minutes she pulled away and looked into her blue eyes.

"Oh, where are my manners. A'm Valka." Merida smiled.

"Et's nice ta meet yah."

"I assume Hiccup has showed yah around?" Merida nodded her head.

"Yes he has." Val smiled at her son and took a look at the sky.

"Hiccup, yer going to be late, get a move on boy!" Hiccup shook his head and grabbed Merida's hand.

"Bye mom! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Goodbye dear, it was nice meeting yah Merida!"

"Et was nice meetin' yah too." Merida smiled before she was dragged back to the arena where she had found her brothers.

They entered through the large door and were greeted by a group of people standing together waiting for Hiccup. All their attention, however, was on the redheaded girl in the tattered dress.

"Hiccup?" Asked a large boy with a long shirt with brown pants. Blonde hair sticking out of a small helmet. "Who's this?" He asked, gesturing to Merida. Said girl stepped forward.

"Mah name is Merida Dun'broch." A shorter boy, with slick, shaggy, black hair stepped forward. He wore a white v-neck shirt under a grey vest and black pants, the horns on his helmet too big for Merida's liking. This boy was bulky, but not overly so. His eyes roamed Merida's body and she instantly folded her arms across her chest.

"What's a cutie like you doing in a place like this?" He asked, giving her a wink.

"That's fer me ta know." Merida said coolly as she walked past him, three red heads hiding behind a group of barrels catching her eye, and the two helmets poking out didn't help either. Merida laid on her back on top of the barrels, arms flopping out to her sides, hitting the sniggering boys in the heads. She flipped over on her stomach and looked down at them.

"How would yah boys like ta practice?" Merida asked, gesturing toward the wall of weapons across the arena.

"Really? Yer gonna to train with us?" Harris asked, excitement in his voice.

"Of course A am! Who else could?" Merida winked at the boys and ruffled their hair before she hopped off the barrels, the boys already on their way to the weapons. They each took a small sword and shield while their sister chose a different rout.

Merida pulled a bow off the wall and pulled it back. She nodded in approval before she grabbed a quiver and put it on her back. She also grabbed a sword and belt, strapping it around her waist. The boys grinned at each other, they rarely got to train with their sister, but their father had been hammering it into them since they were seven. So, with just three years of experience under their belts, Merida knew she had to go easy on them, but not too easy.

"Hiccup." A girl stepped forward. Merida remembered that she'd seen her this morning on the beach. Her blonde hair was tied into a braid that was thrown over her shoulder with a smaller braid on top of it. She looked like a true Viking, beautiful and deadly. Her blue eyes looked at Hiccup with anger. She wore a red shirt with large shoulder armor, a chain crossing her chest, with a furry hood behind her. A belt of small metal skulls was around her waist, and a leather skirt with small armor spikes was worn over a pair of grey, leather pants. A pair of boots that ended just under her knees completed her outfit. Large arm warmers were folded across her chest as she looked at the green eyed boy.

"What, Astrid?" Hiccup said, not looking in her eye.

"Isn't this supposed to be dragon training?" She snapped, glaring at Merida and her brothers. Merida glared right back, hands on her hips. A large man, very muscular and tan, with black hair tied into a low ponytail stepped forward, placing a large hand on Astrid's shoulder.

"Astrid." He said softly. Astrid shook off his hand and turned back to Hiccup.

"Well?"

"Well, I think it'd be nice to allow our guests a chance to train themselves if they want. Berk is a welcoming place, and it'd do you good to remember that." Hiccup said, his voice louder than usual. He looked down at Astrid and in that moment, Merida knew that Hiccup had all the authority that any good chief needed, and that he wasn't afraid to assert it. Astrid huffed and stomped away, but not before she stopped in front of Hiccup.

"We'll talk tonight." She whispered to him and then left, Eret on her heels. Hiccup raked a hand through his hair and let out a long sigh.

"Alright. Now. We're going to let them train. I really don't know what we're going to do, but I'm going to think of something while we wait." The other teenagers nodded and watched as Merida moved objects around to give them more space in the middle of the arena.

She smiled at her brothers and stood in front of them.

"Alright, now we're gonna have some fun. Yah need ta get mah weapons away from me. Gain the upper hand. If A take yer weapon, yer out." Merida smiled. She took the sword out of the sheath, like her father had done a million times for her. She raised it into the air and slowly lowered it. She took a fighting stance. "And, begin!" Merida spun out of the center of the boys, who all lunged at her, swiping their swords. She smiled as she moved around, watching each one of the boys carefully.

'Hamish leads with his right foot, Harris has a twitch in his right hand, and Hubert hurt his left ankle. A could take out Hubert first, then that'd leave me with-' Harris lunged at her. Merida easily dodged it, swiping the boy's sword away with her own. She lunged at the boy, who deflected the hit with his shield. Merida spun around as she heard the shuffling of feet behind her and her sword was lodged into Hamish's shield. She yanked it out, pulling Hamish a little closer and she used his shield to deflect a hit from Harris. She shoved Hamish into Harris and stepped to Hubert. She parried, knocking his wrist around. Merida smiled as she spun around the boy, grabbing the sword and removing it from his hands. He looked sadly at Merida who shook her head.

"Yer not out yet. Yah still have a shield, and that can be a great weapon." She threw the sword, and it clattered to the ground. Hubert nodded and came at her, swinging his shield. Merida easily side stepped it and yanked it from his hands.

"Now yer out." Merida gave him a soft kick to the rump and the boy stuck out his tongue before he joined the others. Merida turned to the two boys, preparing to form an attack, when the sword was knocked out of her hands.

'Oh, he was a sacrifice.' Merida shook her head and the two remaining boys smirked at their sister. Merida smirked back, grabbing the bow and pulling out an arrow. She set her bow and pulled the arrow to her anchor point. She released, and the arrow went flying into Hamish's shield, pulling it to the wall. He looked at his sister shocked and charged her. Merida deflected it, but it wasn't as easy as she thought. She nodded her head and circled the boy before she made her move. She feigned left and went right, kicking his wrist and knocking the sword out of his hand.

"Take a seat." Merida smiled at him and he smiled back before scampering off to join his brother. Merida stared down Harris. He was the smallest of the three, but that also made him the quickest. He ran past her, over, and over. Merida knew what game he was playing. He was trying to make her dizzy so he could take her bow. Merida stopped moving and closed her eyes, listening for his footsteps. She heard him coming from behind her on the left. She waiting, standing there. When he got closer Merida whirled around and grabbed her brother, putting him in a chokehold. He smacked her thigh, dropping his sword. Merida let go and helped him to his feet.

She gestured to the other two and they ran to her.

"Alright, that was pretty good. Yah almost had me. And sacrificin' Hubert? That was a smart move. Is yer ankle even hurt?" Hubert shook his head, grinning up at Merida. She laughed and ruffled their hair. "That was good strategizin'." Merida beamed at the three. She looked to the group of teenagers.

"Alright, Et's their turn now." Merida and the boys sat cross legged on the floor of the arena, watching them train. They were working on their weapon use on dragon back. It was amazing. Each person had their strengths and weaknesses. When they did group work she watched as the different people worked together, no matter what the combination. She couldn't help but feel left out as she watched them flip through the air.

It was about ten at night, and Merida was laying in the guest room. The boys were out cold upstairs in their cots, and Merida was supposed to be asleep as well. Hiccup was up sketching and looking over paperwork and requests from the villagers. One of the water towers had been broken and it was in a high risk area. There were people who needed his blessing for marriage contracts, blessings on their newborn babies, and other trivial things. Merida sighed, and rolled over in the bed, pulling the covers over her head. She wasn't expecting the front door to slam open.

Astrid stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, her voice bouncing off the walls. Hiccup scurried from the dining room and clamped a hand over Astrid's mouth.

"Shh!" Astrid glared at Hiccup and pulled his hand away.

"Why? Why do I have to be quiet in my own home?"

"Because, Astrid, I have guests and they're sleeping." Hiccup looked up at where the boys were sleeping, trying to make sure the boys were still asleep. Astrid followed his gaze and turned on him.

"Is she in our bed? Really, Hiccup?" Astrid accused, poking his chest. Hiccup took a step back and grabbed her hand.

"No, Astrid, she's not in my bed."

"What do you mean your bed?" Astrid crossed her arms.

"Astrid, listen to me." Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. "I know you and Eret have been hiding your relationship with each other."

"Hiccup, we haven't-"

"Do you think I'm stupid, Astrid? I saw you with my own eyes today at the river. I know." The fire in Astrid's eyes was put out and she sunk down into one of the chairs in the living room, head in her hands. Hiccup walked up next to her.

"Honestly, Astrid. Did you think I didn't notice we were drifting apart?" Hiccup placed a tentative hand on her shoulder and she looked up, tears brimming her sapphire eyes.

"Hiccup, I'm so sorry. This relationship that I have with Eret was never planned. We were friends, just friends. But the more time I spent with him I couldn't help but develop these feelings that I thought I only had for you. No matter how hard I tried to forget them, or push them aside, I just couldn't. Please, don't be angry at Eret, it was me who started it. Be angry at me all you want."

"Astrid, listen to me. What I saw today was something that I haven't seen in you in a long time. I saw excitement. Astrid, I've never expected you to be the one to stay with something, or someone, who bores her."

"But you don't bore me Hiccup."

"But I don't excite you like Eret does. He's been a Viking through and through since he was a child. He's got never ending stories, and adventures he can talk to you about. Me, you were with me thorough just about all of the excitement that I've ever had in my life. I can't give you that Astrid. I'm not angry. I'm hurt, yeah, but that was going to happen whether I found out the way I did or not. I'm sorry Astrid, but we don't work." She sniffed and looked at Hiccup, searching his eyes for some form of anger, or doubt. When she found none she stood and went to the door.

"For what it's worth, I really did love you Hiccup."

"I know, Astrid."

"I'll get my things tomorrow. Let Merida have some of my clothes." She opened the door and stopped. "Oh, and I'm sorry for earlier. It was uncalled for. I was angry."

"It's okay." Hiccup gave her that small, lopsided smile, and her heart clenched. She nodded and left, leaving Hiccup alone.

Merida sat by the door, having just pulled her ear from the door.

"Wow…" She whispered to herself. She wanted to go out there, but she needed a reason to do so. She looked down at the ragged, torn, and dirty dress that she refused to let Hiccup take from her. She stood up and walked out to the living room and saw Hiccup curled in on himself in one of the chairs.

"Rough night?" Merida asked, trying to avoid directly mentioning that she heard every word said. Hiccups head snapped up, but he relaxed when he realized it was just Merida.

"Yeah… What are you doing up? I thought you went to bed hours ago?" His eyes darted back and forth, obviously nervous.

"A couldn't sleep. Mah dress is uncomfortable." Merida lied smoothly.

"Oh! I should have grabbed you something to sleep in." Hiccup quickly stood and darted to the ladder. He opened a drawer with Astrid's night clothes in it. He pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top for her, when a breeze blew through the window and made Hiccup shiver. He looked to the boys to make sure they were still okay and decided to grab Merida a pair of his pajama pants as well.

Hiccup climbed back down the ladder and handed them to Merida who smiled.

"Thank yew." Merida said softly and went back into the room to change. The shirt was a bit tight. She had filled out a bit since she was sixteen, a larger bust, fuller, hour glass, curves and thicker thighs. The shorts barely covered her butt, she was about two inches taller than Astrid so it was expected. Merida smiled at the pants and pulled them up. They were huge on her and hung off her wide hips. She walked out into the living room and plopped down on the chair across from Hiccup.

When Merida walked out of the bedroom, Hiccup couldn't help but look at Merida. Her small frame was swimming in those pants, but she still looked very beautiful. Her hair was fuller, and curlier, not full of sweat and salt water after she took her shower before bed, and Hiccup admired every curl. People around here didn't really have hair like that.

"Wha'?" Merida asked, looking at Hiccup, one brow raised. "Dae A have somethin' on mah face?"

"No! No, I was just looking at your hair. It's different from the people around here." Merida smiled, and leaned back in her seat. Hiccup copied her movement, eyes still on her.

"So, how much did you hear?" Merida bit her lip.

"Everythin'?" Hiccup sighed.

"Yeah… that was pretty ugly, wasn't it?"

"No, A've seen worse. A've done worse." Merida admitted. Hiccup looked at her with wide eyes.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. And A've learned that when one door closes, a window opens. Take et and run." Merida stood up, stretching out her back.

"Goodnight Hiccup." Merida said as she disappeared through the guest room door.

Hiccup sat in the living room for a little longer, thinking about what Merida had said. There was something about her, something he had never witnessed before, and it sparked a dangerous curiosity inside the Viking.


	4. Chapter Four

Astrid never came back for her things, but she left a note on Hiccup's door, telling him to just give Merida the clothes, and burn whatever he didn't want to keep. As the days went on, Merida and her family were getting used to Berk.

The days turned to weeks, and suddenly a month had passed with no word, or search ships from Dun'broch. Every night, Merida would sit on the dock, looking out over the rolling waves as the sun set on the horizon. After it disappeared, she'd make her way through the town to the arena and take a sword, or bow and arrow, and train until she couldn't move her body anymore. She'd take an hour or so to let her body rest before she made her way back to Hiccup's house. She thought that no one knew about any of it, but one night Hiccup was out on a late night patrol with Toothless when they spotted her, fiery hair licking her face as it glowed in the dim torchlight of the arena. They landed behind the doors and watched as Merida tired herself out, yelling and screaming. Some nights she would collapse, others she would fall to her knees, body trembling as sobs overtook her body.

Tonight was one of the body trembling nights. Hiccup watched Merida, and his heart clenched. He couldn't just watch her anymore. Silently and quickly, Hiccup made his way to Merida. He sat on his knees and pulled her to his chest as he ran a comforting hand along her back.

Merida was never one for touchy, sappy contact like this, but, in this moment, she didn't care. She threw her arms around Hiccup's waist and cried into his chest. She gripped the leather of his riding uniform tight as the tears fell down her cheeks. She buried her face in his shoulder and screamed. She beat against his chest, crying.

"Why? Why, why why?" She repeated, over and over. Hiccup sat there silent, tracing reassuring circles on her back.

When Merida was finished, she looked up into his sparkling eyes. She wiped her nose and sniffed.

"Thank yew." Merida said, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"It's not a problem." Hiccup smiled down at her.

"Hiccup, A-"

"You don't have to explain anything. I get it." Hiccup said softly as he pulled her to her feet. Merida gave him a soft smile.

"Would you like a ride back home?"

"Aye." Merida said, finding her fur boots to be particularly interesting tonight. Hiccup nodded and walked with her to Toothless. They dropped her off and continued their patrol. When they got home, Merida was asleep on the couch. Hiccup smiled and grabbed a blanket, draping it across her and making sure the fire was high enough to last the rest of the night.

The next morning Merida woke up sore and tired. She padded into her room and sighed. She stripped off her clothes and wrapped herself in a towel and made her way to the bathroom. She ran the hot water from the reserve outside and filled the tub. Curls of steam floated into the air and Merida slipped beneath the surface, sighing in contentment. Her head disappeared under the water and popped back up a minute later, her curls straight. She wiped the water from her eyes and began to clean herself. Merida rinsed herself off and wrapped the towel back around herself. She opened the door and ran face first into a hard chest. She looked up, mortified, into the emerald eyes she'd become accustomed to.

"H-Hiccup!" Merida squeaked, pulling her towel closer to her chest.

"Oh!" Hiccup said, covering his eyes. "I'll just, yeah, I'll-" he said, backing up and bumping into a chair. Merida scurried to her room and when she slammed the door Hiccup removed his hands. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and went into the bathroom, clothes in hand.

Merida sat on her bed panting. Her heart was racing a million miles an hour. Over the past month, her and Hiccup had been spending more, and more time together. They had shared all of their stories and trials. They had been getting closer, and she couldn't help but feel a strange twitch in her chest whenever he smiled, or feel a jolt when he touched her. When she saw him shirtless the other morning, her stomach filled with butterflies, and her heart leapt to her throat. She knew what the feelings were, but she couldn't, could not, like Hiccup. Could she?

Merida let out a deep sigh and stood up, pulling on her underwear and strapping on her bra. She rummaged through the closet and pulled out a pair of cream arm warmers, a teal, high collared, tank top, and a brown wrap. She tied the wrap tight around her body, over one shoulder and around her waist, and held it together with a leather belt with a small sliver pendant. She slipped on a pair of tight, black, leather pants and knee-high grey boots. She tied the mass of curls into a braid that hung down her back. She grabbed a headband and put it on, like she would her tiara, and left the room.

Hiccup exited the bathroom, wearing his normal riding outfit. Merida smiled at him shyly before throwing a bowl of oatmeal on the coals. Hiccup sat at the table behind her.

"Dae yah want one?"

"Yeah, thanks." Hiccup said as Merida put another bowl on the coals. She sat down across from him, her face determined.

"How long would et take ta get ta Dun'broch from here?"

"About, five hours, give or take, why?"

"A need ta find out what happened ta mah family." Merida slammed her fists against the table, her blue eyes hard with determination.

"I can understand that."

"Will yah help me Hiccup?

"Yes, I-" Three pairs of feet carried the boys to the table.

"If yer going home, we're goin' with yew!" Hamish said, hands on his hips.

"No, yer not." Merida stood on her knees and looked at her brothers. They had grown quite a bit over the month that they'd been there, and they were getting stronger. But there's no training in the world that would prepare them for what Merida had to see, and she didn't want them to go through it.

"But Mer! We want to go! Et's not fair that you're going, and we have to stay here!" Hubert spoke up.

"And, where would we stay?" Harris added, a small victory smirk spread across his face when Merida didn't have an answer.

"I have just the person to look after you boys." Hiccup said, a mischievous smile spread across his face.

"Thanks mom, it's really appreciated." Valka smiled and waved her hand.

"S'no trouble dear. A'll be glad ta watch these wee angels for you." The word angels drew a snort from Merida, who got a jab in the ribs from Hiccup.

"Now, be good for Val. A'll be back tonight." Merida hugged each of her brothers and gave them each a kiss on the forehead.

"We should be back before dinner, but if the weather takes a turn for the worse we'll be staying the night. I love you mom."

"A love yew too Hiccup. Now, off yah go!" Val waved the two off, who were mounting Toothless. She smiled and waved at the duo as the darted into the sky. Val turned to the triplets.

"Now, what trouble can we cause?"

Three hours had passed, and Merida was beginning to get restless.

"How much longer, Hiccup?"

"About two more hours." Merida groaned and Hiccup leaned down to Toothless.

"Let's take a rest, what do yah say bud?" Toothless groaned in agreement as he landed them on the shore of a small island. Toothless instantly took off, looking for whatever he could play with and Hiccup and Merida were left to fend for themselves.

"Well, that's just great. Thanks bud, means a lot! Great to know I'm replacable with a butterfly!" Hiccup yelled after the playful dragon. Merida smiled behind her hand and sniggered. She walked to the edge of the trees and snapped a limb off of one of the trees. She looked at Hiccup expectantly, and when he didn't get the hint she walked to him, pressed a button on his suit, and snatched the spike from his foot. Hiccup then fell onto his bottom and looked at her like she was crazy.

"What? A'm makin' a spear. A'm hungry." Merida finished widdling the end of the spear and then untied her brown wrap. She wrapped it around her waist and used the belt to keep her makeshift skirt in place. She took off her arm warmers, pants, and her boots and went out, about knee deep, into the ocean.

Hiccup watched as Merida stood still as a statue as she waited for the perfect moment to strike, and about five minutes of waiting, like a crane, Merida struck with precision. She took the fish off the spear and waiting another five minutes before collecting another, and five more minutes before she got a third. She made her way out of the waters, fish and hand and broke down the wood some more to make a fire.

Soon the fish was cooked, and Toothless was back. Merida shook her head and threw him the fish, which he greedily ate. Merida and Hiccup ate their fish in silence before Merida put her clothes back on. The two of them climbed back on Toothless and were on their way.

The two hours that passed didn't seem that long, and Merida closed her eyes as she breathed in the thick, Scotland air. It smelled like rain, and earth, and dirt, but most of all, it smelled like home.

"Where's the castle?" Hiccup asked as they flew above the forest. Merida spotted the clearing with the stones and nodded.

"North from here. The castle will be about two minutes distance." Hiccup nodded and pulled Toothless in the direction.

A clearing was visible from the sky, where the forest had been cleared for the town and castle. But when they got closer, the once proud, dominate castle was not in view. What met Merida's eyes was hell. The great stone walls, once tall and strong, were now reduced to rubble. The tall towers were knocked to the ground, pebbles among the dirt. Tapestries were unraveled, and blood stained the scorched ground.

Toothless landed and Merida flew off his back. She ran as fast as she could and she traced her hands over the stone. Scars were dug into the walls, and soot coated them in layers. Merida walked through what was left of the doorway and into the place where the main entrance room would have been, memories flooding her mind.

'A tiny Merida ran through the halls and into the main entrance room, her mother hot on her trail. Merida ducked behind a ceramic pot, giggles erupting from her small frame. Elinor scanned the room and smiled, the small blue pot looked mighty strange with those ginger locks sticking up at all angles. Elinor quietly tiptoed toward the pot, spinning around as she pretended to search for the princess.

"Now, where'd Merida go?" More giggles from behind the pot. Elinor smiled and went to the tapestry. "Is she," She grabbed the tapestry and moved it, "behind here? No…" She smiled and ran to the pot.

"Oh! A found mah princess!" Merida erupted in laughter when Elinor blew raspberries on her cheeks. Fergus burst through the door and Merida wriggled her way out of her mother's grasp.

"Daddy!" Fergus grinned and hoisted the small girl onto his shoulders.

"Princess! A brought yah something." Fergus smiled at Elinor, who gave him 'the look', but Fergus was oblivious.

"What'd yah get me?" Merida said as she bounced on her father's shoulders. Fergus set her down in front of him.

"Okay, close yer eyes, an' no peeking!" Merida covered her eyes with her hands, giggling. Fergus went outside and came back in. He set it in front of Merida.

"Okay, open em!" There, standing on wobbly legs, was a Clydesdale foul. Merida gasped and ran to the small horse.

"Fergus!"

"What?"

"A love him!" Merida said, burying her face into his fur. "A'm gonna' take care of him, and feed him, and water him, and brush him!"

"And when he gets bigger, yah can ride 'im!" Merida's eyes grew and she turned to her mother. Elinor sighed and bent down to the foul, lightly scratching behind his ears.

"He is cute." Merida grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"A'm gonna' call yah Angus! Come on, Angus! A'll show yah my room!"

"Merida, no!" '

Merida made her way into the throne room and great hall. Many memories came to her but the strongest was,

' "Merida! Put that bow down! Et's time for yer lesson!"

"But mum!"

"Princesses dae not whine Merida." Elinor scolded. Merida groaned and threw her bow. "Princesses dae not throw things either!"

Merida trying to walk the distance of the room with a book on her head, Merida reading countless books, sewing countless tapestries. Merida learning how to drink tea, and set plates, and host parties. '

Merida stopped when her feet met resistance and she looked down. Her eyes widened, and she let out a blood curdling scream. Hiccup came rushing in to her. He grabbed her and buried her face into his chest. On the floor was a charred body of a small, stout man. Tufts of white hair were barely sticking to his scalp, and his skin was peeled away, or covered in blisters. Maggots had already gotten to the bodies, and so had the flies and other insects. It took all Hiccup had not to vomit.

"Is ey mah da'?"

"Was your dad short?" Merida shook her head. "Then no." They stayed like that for a while before Merida pushed off of Hiccup.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Merida breathed out. She made her way slowly over debris, and around charred bodies. Then she found him. His large body was lifeless, and untouched. A large slash across his chest was the only marring feature. Merida fell to her knees.

"No. No. NO!" Hiccup made his way to her, and for the second time in twenty four hours, pulled her into his chest to cry. Hiccup led Merida out of the castle and let her calm down. About ten minutes later she was done.

"Where do you want his grave?" Merida sniffed and looked to the large hill that once overlooked the village.

"Up there." Hiccup nodded and left Merida alone as he and Toothless went to dig the grave, and put Fergus in it. After he was done Merida walked to him. Clouds rolled in the sky, and thunder rumbled from above.

"Valhalla has welcomed a new man." Hiccup said quietly. Merida remained silent, staring at the small, makeshift, cross that marked the grave. The rain came down, pelting the two, but Merida remained still. Hiccup went to move, get out of the rain, when Merida grabbed his hand. She didn't look up, she didn't say a word, but Hiccup understood. He stayed there with her, fingers entwined, as they both looked at the grave. He looked at Merida, and couldn't tell if it was rain rolling down her cheeks, or tears dripping like liquid diamonds to the ground.


	5. Chapter Five

There was no end in sight to the clouds overhead, but Merida didn't want to sit still.

"Hiccup, can we check the castle?"

"Sure." Merida grabbed his hand and walked back into the castle. She carefully made her way up the stairs and into what used to be her parents room. Merida snorted as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. There, in the corner of the room, was the tapestry loom and the unfinished tapestry, untouched. Merida took it in her hands and turned to Hiccup.

"Can we come back fer the loom?"

"We most defiantly can." Merida nodded and gently removed the tapestry from the loom. She carefully folded it and wrapped her arms protectively around it. They continued through the room and found some more trinkets. A family picture of the five of them, Elinor's crown, Fergus' sword, Fergus's crown, and one of Fergus' fur capes. Merida opened Elinor's closet and let out a shaky breath. She gently took the white dress from inside and inspected it. It had a few tears on it, but could be easily fixed. Merida folded the garment and held it along with the tapestry.

"Is there anywhere else you want to go?"

"The stables." Merida said, not missing a beat.

"Lead the way." And she did. She quickly made her way through the halls, kitchen, and out the back door. She looked at the crumbling stables and squeezed her eyes closed.

'Please have left, please have left, please have left.' She opened one eye and let out a sigh of relief. Angus wasn't there. None of the animals. Granted, they could have been taken, but this was the one positive thing that'd happened today, and Merida wasn't going to believe that Angus hadn't made it. She walked inside, and that's when she saw it, glinting like a diamond in the rough. There, in the empty stall, was her father's bow. Merida's heart clenched, but a smile spread across her face and she rushed to pick it up. She hugged it to her chest and turned to Hiccup, who was watching her with a sad smile on his face.

"It's nice to see you smiling." Merida flushed and looked down. Hiccup looked back up at the sky.

"You know, if it keeps raining like this we'll have to stay here for the night. Have any idea where we could stay?" Merida nodded and they walked back to Toothless, packing away the items that Merida had collected.

"Okay, where are we staying?"

"In the woods." Merida said as she started down the path to the cromlech in the woods. Hiccup and Toothless followed silently behind her, trying to keep up with her fast pace. Merida took a sharp left off the trail and disappeared inside the bush. Toothless bounded after her, leaving Hiccup stranded.

He started in the direction he saw her take, trying to listen for the snapping of branches, but it was drown out by the rain pattering on the leaves overhead. Hiccup groaned in frustration. He had been walking on his own for about ten minutes now, and Merida was probably looking for him anyway. So, his stubbornness failing him, he took a seat on a damp log. He buried his face in his hands.

"How could you be so stupid?" He asked himself. A few more minutes passed and it was getting darker with every passing second. Hiccup was becoming worried. Being lost in an unfamiliar land was bad, but being in an unfamiliar land, at night, with the possibility of wild dragons rampaging through here, was worse.

Hiccup was about to give up when he heard a soft, whisper-like sound. He snapped his head up, eyes roaming the woods around him.

"Merida?" Hiccup asked, standing up. No response came, just more whispering noises. Hiccup drew his sword from his hip and gripped it tightly.

"I promise, I don't have anything you want. And even if I did, I wouldn't go down without a fight!" He called to the woods. The whispering was getting closer, and Hiccup was getting more and more nervous. A whisper sounded behind him and he turned, swinging the sword through a blue light. Hiccup stumbled back, tripping over the log he was sitting on. He looked up at the wisp, floating above his head. He had heard about these from Merida.

'A Willow Wisp? No, it's a, a-'

"Will-O-The-Wisp!" Hiccup scrambled to his feet and walked up to it. He reached his hand out, and it disappeared. A few feet behind it another one appeared, and Hiccup tried to grab it too, but it disappeared before he could, but another one took its place. Hiccup started following the wisps, running through the forest, jumping over logs, and spinning through low branches. He burst through the tree-line and saw Merida making a roof out of branches.

"What took yah so long?" Hiccup bent over, hands on his knees. Merida dropped what she was doing, her eyes widening. She ran to his side, and laid a hand on his back.

"Are yah all right?" Merida asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm, okay." Hiccup panted out. He took a deep breath and stood up. "I saw wisps."

"What?" Merida asked. "Are yah sure?"

"Yeah. I followed them, and they brought me here." Merida nodded.

"Smart devils." She shook her head and her and Hiccup finished the roof and made a "bed" for them to lay on. They got some rope and set up their roof between two stones that were fairly close to each other and put the "bed" under it. It was just big enough for the three of them to wiggle and maneuver their way to fit.

Toothless was in the back, half curled up, allowing an area for Merida and Hiccup to lay and keep warm. Hiccup, being the worrier he is, packed blankets just in case a situation like this might arise, and extra food for it too.

A fire was built, via Toothless, and the three of them ate before hunkering down for the night. Hiccup turned to Merida and watched her for a minute, a question burning in the back of his mind.

"Merida?"

"Huh?" Merida turned on her side to face the man next to her.

"What exactly do wisps do?" Merida smirked.

"They lead yah to yer fate."

"My fate? So, they could have led me anywhere."

"That's the concept."

"They could have led me off a cliff?"

"Et's a good possibility." Merida chuckled. "But, I guess yer fate is ta be with me." It was silent for a few seconds as what Merida said sunk in. The Scot's eyes widened and her face turned a shade of red that rivled her hair.

"N-not with me, with me, but h-here, with me. And Toothless. Here in the cromlech."

"Y-yeah. Here with you…" Hiccup trailed off. He had to admit, he had feelings for the woman that was lying next to him. She was beautiful, and smart, and very witty. She was strong willed, and determined. She was protective, and positively one of a kind. Hiccup remembered the first time he felt these feelings, it was with Astrid, and it scared the hell out of him. Merida turned her back to Hiccup, who watched the girl's chest rise and fall. Soon her breathing evened out and Hiccup lied there, thinking about everything that'd happened that day. The edges of his vision blurred and he gave way to exhaustion, his dreams full of fiery curls and glimmering blue eyes.

Hiccup woke up the next morning with a face full of curls in his face. He felt a warm body curled perfectly into his own, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other under her head. He could feel the steady rise and fall of her breathing on his chest and heard her quite snores. Hiccup tried to slide his arm out from under Merdia's head, but the girl stirred in her sleep, causing Hiccup to freeze. He waited a few minutes before he decided to just pull his arm from under her head. Merida groaned and flipped over, face to him. Hiccup followed the constellations of freckles dotted across her face, down her neck, and they disappeared under her shirt. He gulped, and sat up slowly. He had to get up, his bladder was screaming at him.

Hiccup made up his mind and scrambled to his feet that then led him to a bush. When he got back to their makeshift camp ground Merida was already out of bed and taking down their shelter. She smiled at Hiccup and gave him a small wave.

"Good mornin' Hiccup."

"Good morning Merida. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, did yew?"

"It wasn't too bad."

"That's good. Hiccup?"

"Yes Merida?"

"Before we leave, dae yah think we can visit the village?"

"Of course Merida." The two of them packed up their things and made their way to the village before they were to leave. Merida gathered up wild flowers from the forest on their way out, and as she walked by fallen houses, she placed one at each door and marked the ground with a rune.

"What does it mean?"

"What?"

"The rune, what does it mean?"

"It means home, where all those who passed went." Hiccup smiled and pulled Merida into a tight hug.

"You would have made a wonderful queen, you know that?" Merida looked into his eyes. Sincerity and truth shone back and she felt her stomach flip.

"Thank yew Hiccup." Merida choked out, her eyes starting to fill with tears.

"For what Merida?"

"Fer takin' in mah brothers an' me. Fer bein so understandin'. Fer takin' us inta yer home when yah really didnae have ta. Yah gave up a lot fer me an' mah brothers Hiccup, and I don' know how ta repay yah."

"There's no need to repay me Merida. You were in trouble, and as chief, it's my job to make sure all visitors, temporary or permanent, feel welcome and are safe." Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck, flushing as he spoke. Merida smiled and stood on her tip toes, pecking him on the cheek.

"Thank yew." Hiccup's face turned a deeper red and he coughed.

"Like I said, it's not a problem. So, are you ready to leave?" Merida took one last glance around and nodded.

"Alright bud, let's get going!" Toothless jumped down from a nearby tree. As Hiccup and Merida were approaching Toothless, a figure darted from a cellar door just outside the house.

Their tattered green dress flapped behind her. She had no shoes, and was covered in dirt. Her long dark hair was free, and covered in mud and leaves. A carnal look was on her face, her lip curled up, and a sword in her hand. She slashed at Toothless, ascending on him like he was a demon straight from the depths of hell. Hiccup and Merida were taken by surprise, but Merida was the first one to snap into action. She jumped in front of the woman, arms outstretched.

"Yah will not kill this dragon!" Merida glared at the woman, but felt her heart stop. Her stomach dropped her feet and her breath caught in her throat. Standing in front of her was her mother, scratched and burned, but her mother none the less.

"Mum?" Merida lowered her arms and leaned her head to the side. The woman blinked her eyes, and dropped her sword.

"Merida? Merida!" She ran to the girl, who met her half way. When they met each other they dropped to their knees, crying and laughing, Elinor kissing Merida's head and face.

"A thought A lost yew." Merida choked out.

"No, no Merida yah didn't, but, yer da'." Merida noddeld silently into her chest.

"A know, A know. We found him, and buried him." It was Elinor who was choking on her sobs now, and the two of them sat there for what seemed like eternity.

"Wait, we? Who's we?" They picked themselves up, and Merida walked her over slowly to Hiccup, who was standing next to Toothless.

"Merida…" Elinor said through clenched teeth, eyeing Toothless.

"Mum, trust me." Elinor nodded and held Merida's arm in a tight grip. "Mum, this is Hiccup, the chief of Berk."

"Berk?" Elinor looked deep into his eyes, and hers softened.

"A've only seen eyes those green once in mah lifetime. Are you, Val's son?" Hiccup shrugged.

"Yeah, she's my mom." Elinor smiled.

"How is she?"

"She's good, just been busy."

"That's good. How's Stoic?" Both Merida and Hiccup paused, and looked at the ground.

"Did A say somethin' wrong?"

"No, it's just," Hiccup sighed, "he died in battle not too long ago."

"Oh, oh A'm sorry." Elinor held her hands to her chest.

"It's okay."

"Mum, are there any survivors?"

"Aye, there were others. But they left about a week after the incident happened. They let the wounded heal, and then left for other villages." Hiccup nodded.

"What exactly happened after Merida left?" Elinor sighed and closed her eyes.

"Well, after Merida ran out of the room with her brothers, more fire rained from the roof and more dragons dropped inta the castle. The lords tried ta fight them, but there was no beating them, our swords weren't sharp or strong enough ta get through their skin. Fergus fought with the lords, he fought hard, but et was like these dragons were learning as they went. They separated them, and once they were cornered, there was nothing they could do. A sat by yer da' and watched the life drain from his eyes. A told him A was worried about yew, but he told me that he knew yew were strong enough ta get through et and survive.

"After the dragons were done with the castle, they went ta the village. They destroyed, et, took the animals, killed the warriors, and destroyed the boats. When they were finished, they disappeared inta thin air, leavin' only destruction behind 'em.

"When they left, survivors came out of hiding, and everyone pitched in ta help heal the wounded and tend the sick. Most of em thought et would be best ta leave DunBroch, and A could see why they'd think that, but A couldn't leave mah home, so A stayed behind. Et's been a month, but A just couldn't bring mahself ta go inta the castle, et broke mah heart.

"But now A know mah wee lambs are safe, and A thank yah Hiccup."

'"It's been no problem your majesty. It's been a pleasure to have your family in Berk." Hiccup and Merida shared a small smile that Elinor stuffed in the back of her mind to come back to later when she had a moment with her daughter.

"Et's getting' late Hiccup. If we don't leave now, we won't be able ta get back ta Berk. Yer mum would be worried."

"You're right Merida. Come on." Hiccup gestured for the two to follow him.

"But, the shore's the other way…" Merida turned to her mother, biting her lip.

"Actually, mum, Hiccup an' A didn't get here on a boat…" Elinor was confused, but on further inspection of the dragon, she saw a saddle and quickly learned what had brought them here.

"No. Oh no. There's no way in Hell-"

Elinor screamed in delight, her hair billowing behind her, the leaves had left long ago, and now she was delighting in the wonderful feel of the wind pressing against her face. Merida smiled at how delighted her mother was. She knew her mother hadn't been happy at all the past month being alone, and her heart warmed towards Hiccup for providing even more happiness for her family, for bringing her to DunBroch and finding her mother, for helping her grieve the loss of her father, her home. Merida looked up at Hiccup, the sunlight shining off his hair, his eyes glittering, and a big grin splitting his face, and couldn't help but smile herself. In that moment, Merida knew she had feelings for Hiccup that reached more than she was willing to admit before.

They reached Berk just after nightfall, the village had just gone to the Great Hall to eat dinner. Hiccup looked at Elinor, trying to see if she would fit in one of Astrid's dresses, but she was taller than Merida by a few inches, and Merida just barely fit into the clothes herself. He sighed and made his way to his mother's house, the two women following him as Merida gave her a quick tour of the village as they passed places. Hiccup knocked on the door and didn't get an answer. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Merida, you and your mom stay here. I'm going to get my mom to give her some clothes."

"Can yah bring the boys with yah?" Elinor asked softly.

"I would have even if you didn't ask." Hiccup said as he waved and ran to the Great Hall.

A few minutes passed and they saw five heads walking towards Val's home. When they got closer, three, identical, red heads stopped in their tracks.

"MUM!" They immediately took off at a sprint, full speed at Elinor. The queen stooped low and snatched all three of them into her arms. All of them started crying, and the night air was full of apologies, and reconciliation. Elinor stood up and smiled at Valka.

"Val!"

"Eli!"

"Et's nice ta see yah Val, A heard about Stoic, A'm sorry."

"Et's nice ta see yah too Eli. Et's okay, A heard about Fergus, and A'd like ta give him a proper Berkian send off." Elinor smiled and nodded her head.

"That'd be nice." She placed her hands on one shoulder of Hamish and Hubert, Harris standing between the two. "But, A'd like ta clean up, get a proper dress on, and have some food." Hiccup smiled.

"Of course you can. Merida and I will take the boys to the Great Hall. I'll have some news for everyone when you arrive." Elinor gave Hiccup a nod.

"Thank yew."

"It's not a problem. Your family, and anyone from DunBroch, are always welcome here in Berk." Elinor smiled at Hiccup and Val led her into the house.

"Alright boys, mum's home. Let's eat!" Merida said as she herded the boys toward the Great Hall.

They took their seats at a table with everyone else, and filled their plates to the brim with meat, potatoes, and some vegetables. They ate in silence, elbow to elbow with each other. It'd been a month, and Merida couldn't believe how family like these people were. Every night at dinner they'd come eat, never sit in the same place, never sit by someone two nights in a row, never argued, at least until the ale came out. Merida loved how close everyone was, and by now she knew almost everyone's name, and they made it easy. The only people Merida hadn't talked to, or sat next to, were Astrid and Eret. She knew at one point she had to talk to her, there was an awkward silence between the two of them, and it would never go away without them talking. But, that was for a different time, because her mother walked through the door.

Elinor looked around in awe. There weren't too many people, less than half the people from DunBroch, but they filled the air with pleasant conversation. When Hiccup caught sight of them, he waved them down, and they found seats waiting for them at the table. When everyone was done eating, Hiccup stood up and made his way slowly to the small stage area that was set up. He blew on a horn, signaling those who had left the Great Hall to return.

After giving them five minutes to return Hiccup quieted the village.

"Now, I know you all remember the night when we welcomed Merida and her brother's to Berk, and while Merida and I took a trip yesterday back to DunBroch, we found another person to welcome into our village. Queen Elinor DunBroch was found yesterday, Elinor, would you please join me up here?" Elinor glided to the stage, her dark blue dress flowing behind her.

"I'd like to have a traditional Scottish celebration tomorrow, all day long, to honor the return of Queen Elinor to her family." Cheers erupted through the Great Hall, and Hiccup waited for them to die down before he continued. "Although we're celebrating the return of the Queen, we're also celebrating the life of King Fergus DunBroch, who died in combat against a dragon attack on his castle. Tomorrow night, as the sun sets, we're going to give King Fergus the proper, warrior send off. Please, meet us at the cliff overlooking the beach to support the Royal Family. Now, have a good night's sleep, because we'll all be up early in the morning to set up!" As the village left the Great Hall, they passed Elinor, Merida, Harris, Hubert, and Hamish, giving them their condolences, and congratulating them on finding each other once again.

On their way back to the houses, Val and Elinor decided that Elinor would stay with her and so would the boys, who wanted to be close to their mother. When they reached the fork in the road, they said their goodbyes.

"Elinor, I'll really need your help tomorrow in the kitchen to prepare the right foods, and Merida I would like your help setting up."

"That would be great Hiccup. A want ta thank yew, from the bottom of mah heart. A feel so welcome, an' A wouldn' want ta be anywhere else than here." She stuck a hand out to Hiccup, who gripped it with both of his, much larger, hands.

"I've said it before, having your family here is no problem at all, and it's my pleasure to celebrate with you." The five walked back to Val's house, the boys rough housing with one another, and Hiccup and Merida walked back to Hiccup's house in silence.

The Terrible Terrors croaked from the roof tops of every house in Berk, waking the villagers and sending them out to set up for the rest of the day. Elinor was busy in the kitchen, instructing the chefs on how to properly make haggis, stovies, lorne sausages, cranachan, clootie dumplings, and scotch pie. Merida was busy with Hiccup, setting up decorations, banners, and painting designs along the paths, and houses. Val, coming from Scotland, was directing the musicians, and teaching them songs to play.

Everything had been finished by eleven, the celebration started at noon. Hiccup was putting the final touches on his outfit, an emerald, knee length, plaid, kilt that wrapped around his waist then around his back across his chest and then pinned together at his hip, a small pin holding the kilt around his waist. Two blue streaks were under his eyes on his cheek, and he had his sword at his hip. When he climbed down into the living room, he felt his heart speed up at the woman standing in front of him.

Merida was wearing a plaid, emerald fabric around her chest, with no sleeves, that dropped down her stomach, hiding her belly button, and wrapped around her waist. A gold dragon pin was holding her skirt in place at her hip, the skirt brushing against her thighs an inch above her knees. She didn't wear shoes, and her bow and quiver were on her back. Her untamed hair was pulled back and twisted into two braids that met at the back of the neck and ran down her back.

Merida looked up at Hiccup through her eyelashes, her face flushed as she felt his eyes tracing the constellations that he'd never seen before, mainly the ones on her sides and stomachs. Usually under this scrutiny, Merida would have been very uncomfortable, but the only thing making her uncomfortable were the butterflies in her stomach.

Hiccup gulped and took a few shaky steps to Merida. He held out his arm, and smiled at her softly.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to accompany you to the celebration today." Merida smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his.

"A'd be delighted."

From noon until five, Hiccup spent his time being pulled from place to place by Merida, or having food shoved in his mouth.

"Yah have ta try this!" She'd say as she popped it into his mouth. He'd never say no, but just went along with her antics. Now they were in the center of town where the band was playing. They were standing to the side, watching them dance, when an upbeat tune caught her ear.

"Hiccup! Oh, Hiccup, dance with me? Please?" She looked up into his eyes, those cerulean orbs pleading with him, gripping his heart. He was powerless.

"Okay, but I'm not much of a dancer." Merida grinned and bounced on her toes when he said yes.

They ran into the group, Hiccup on one side and Merida on the other. Hiccup bowed to Merida, who curtsied in return. They backed up, and came forward, placing their palms together.

'When the cold wind is a callin,' they laced their fingers together and spun around, 'and the sky is clear and bright, misty mountains sing and beckon, sing and beckon, lead me out into the light.' Hiccup took her hand and spun her around.

'I will run, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky,' Hiccup picked her up at the hip, and Merida stepped lightly a few times, arm stretched to the sun, as he spun her around. 'I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky.'

As the song kept going, Hiccup and Merida stopped dancing like everyone else, and just began spinning and twirling, and laughing with each other. They lost themselves in the fun they were having, they didn't notice the steely eyes on them, or the two pairs of glittering warm eyes either. They were just lost in each other. As the song drew to an end, the two of them drew closer to each other, noses brushing. Merida closed her eyes and stood on her tip-toes, leaving a feather light kiss on his lips. As soon as she was there, she was gone, turning to leave. Before Merida got the chance to really leave, Hiccup grabbed her wrist and spun her back around, pulling her back in and gently placing his lips more firmly on hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, there were some things that were weird in this chapter, like all the food. I looked up traditional foods, and haggis is, haggis, stovies are meat, onions and potatoes. Lorne sausages are sausages, cranachan is a dessert of raspberries, honey, whipped crème and toasted oats, clootie dumplings is like bread pudding with more fruit, and scotch pies are meat pies. The song I used was from the sound track of Brave, it's called Touch the Skies by Julie Fowlis and I recommend it for you to give a listen.


	6. Chapter Six

Hiccup pulled away from Merida, who was wrapped in his arms, and gave her a lopsided smile, his eyelids heavy and his cheeks flushed. Merida shyly looked into his eyes as she bit her lip.

Her blue eyes burned with a rage she thought she'd never feel again. She raked her blonde hair out of her face and growled. She didn't know why she was so angry, those kinds of kisses weren't hers anymore, that smile wasn't created out of love for her, but instead it was about Merida now. It was about how they found Merida; she understood that her home had burned, but how many times had her house been burnt to the ground, and rebuilt again? How many years had they survived dragon attacks? And this girl comes along, with three little boys, who survived one measly dragon attack and she was marked as a hero? Had she even killed a dragon? No. And now they found her mom so, of course, they threw her a village wide celebration!

She let go of Eret's hand and stormed through the crowd of people, Eret on her heels, and rammed into Merida and took off. The Scot turned around, the flush from her cheeks was now out of anger.

"Oh no yah don'!" Merida yelled as she chased after Merida.

"Astrid!" Eret called, stopping next to Hiccup.

"Merida, wait!"

"Astrid!" The two men sighed and stood in an awkward silence next to each other. Eret coughed and sighed.

"Look, Hiccup I'm-"

"Don't. You don't need to apologize to me for anything, alright?"

"No, actually, I do. You've been my best friend since I got here, you're the one who stuck up for me, and gave me the love of my life."

"Astrid?"

"Skullcrusher." Hiccup laughed. "But seriously, Hiccup, you're the first friend I ever had in my life, and I hate what Astrid and I did to you, as a man it was wrong, and as your friend it was unacceptable. But you have to understand, Astrid, she's a wildflower growing in weeds. I hate to see her upset, and that's all she's been since they day it happened. She hates herself, and she thinks you hate her too. I just need you to know that we didn't mean for it to have gone as far as it did. We honestly didn't think it'd ever get that far. We just started spending time together, being friends, and suddenly her lips are against mine and I'd never felt this before. I know it's wrong, but I just-"

"ERET! It's okay, it really is. I accept your apology, and I understand why it happened. I'd never seen Astrid that happy, and I know that I could never give that to her, but you can. As long as you keep her happy, there's no problems between us, but right now we have a serious problem. Astrid and Merida are angry at each other, and we don't know where they are." Realization struck Eret, and his eyes grew larger with fear and worry.

"Astrid will kill her!"

"Honestly, I don't know who I'm worried about more." Hiccup said as he and Eret ran off into the direction the two girls disappeared to.

Merida didn't know what pushed her over the edge, it wasn't like Astrid had been voilitle to her but once. But when she shoved her it started a fire within her heart that boiled her blood. Now, she was chasing after Astrid, flying past the training arena, down the docks, and onto the beach. With her feet digging into the sand, Astrid slowed, allowing Merida to catch up. The redhead growled and jumped, tackling Astrid to the shore burying her face in the sand. Astrid turned over, fists swinging. She made contact with Merida's shoulder, knocking her off balance. Astrid took advantage of Merida's situation, she flipped over, laying Merida on her back. She pulled back her fist, but Merida caught her hand and met the girls blazing blue eyes. Merida wriggled her way out from under Astrid, throwing her off as she lifted her knee. She and Merida pulled themselves off the rough ground, glaring at each other before they clashed again, fists flying.

Astrid ducked down to avoid Merida's fist, and swept a foot along the sand, knocking Merida's feet from under her. Merida fell into the sand, and Astrid pounced, aiming a knee at her head. Merida rolled out of the way and was back on her feet as Astrid landed harshly, the sand digging into her skin. Merida looked down at Astrid, and when their blue eyes met for the second time, Merida's heart softened a bit. Astrid had tears streaming down her face, and she recognized the emotion lying beneath the anger. Vulnerability. Merida knew this fight wasn't worth it. It wasn't really a fight to begin with. Merida turned away from Astrid, and began to walk away.

"Don't walk away from me!" Astrid yelled, quickly rising to her feet. Merida shook her head, still walking. Astrid ran to her and grabbed her shoulders. Merida turned to the girl and grabbed her arms and twisted them around her back. Astrid let out a gasp of pain, and Merida gathered herself, and put on her best Elinor impression.

"A'm nae gonna fight yah. Et's not right. Yer not mad, yer hurt. A daenae know why, but yah are."

"Merida! Astrid!" the distant voices of Hiccup and Eret drifted to the two girls' ears.

"A know yer hurt because what happened between Hiccup and yew. But A didnae do anythin' wrong ta yah. Yew have so much happiness here, so many friends, friends that A would have died ta have. Yah have people who love yah, who would do anythin' in this world fer yah, remember that." Merida let go of Astrid, and turned to walk away again, when Astrid called out angrily.

"You're a princess, you got everything you asked for. I had to work for everything I got, everything I have. Then you show up, and everything is different. You're not working for anything. Nothing, and now you have another perfect life here, in my home." Merida stopped, not turning to the girl she sighed and softly replied.

"Astrid, mah life was, and is, far from perfect. A'm not gonna let yah ruin this day fer me an' mah family. Today is a day fer mah family ta mourn the loss of mah da', not ta fight with anyone. One thing that A've learned is ta love what yah've got, not ta be jealous of what yah've lost." Merida looked over her shoulder at Astrid. "Yah've got so much ta be thankful fer. Yah've got a man who loves ya unconditionally, and yah better realize that before this one realizes yah still love Hiccup."

"I- I do not love Hiccup like that anymore!"

"Astrid, yah may be able ta fool yerself, but et's only a matter of time before Eret figures et out. He's a good guy." With that, Merida walked away from the blonde, who was left staring at the redhead in disbelief.

The two boys finally found them, and Eret rushed past Merida to Astrid. He swept her into his arms, talking to her softly. Hiccup slowly approached Merida and laid a tentative hand on her shoulder. She looked up into those moss eyes and smiled.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," Merida looked at the two further down the beach. Astrid didn't melt into Eret's embrace, but she looked at Merida, still stony faced. Merida sighed. "A really hope she realizes what she's got." Hiccup gave her a questioning look and Merida just shook her head. "Later." Hiccup nodded and took her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. Merida gave a reassuring squeeze back and the two walked to the docks.

The sun was setting on the horizon, causing golden hue to clouds that filled the sky, a vivid fuchsia that faded into lavender. Merida, Elinor, and the triplets stood on the edge of the dock, five bows, with five oil dipped arrows lying beside them. A torch was light at the end of the dock that flickered with life. The village watched from the cliffs, and the shores, of Berk, bows and arrows in hand. A large ship was floating in the waters holding a portrait of Fergus that they had brought back from DunBroch, and his helmet sitting on top of his folded kilt.

Merida looked at her mom, who squeezed her shoulder, a grim smile on her face, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Merida smiled at her mom, and took Fergus' bow off her back. She grabbed an arrow off the small table and nocked it, the brought it to the torch to light. She brought up the bow to her face and pulled it back as she took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and let go of the arrow, letting out the breath. The arrow went flying, a perfect arch, that landed on the boat. Elinor and the boys nocked their bows, light the arrows, and let them fly to the boat. From the cliffs, and the shores, the rest of the village let the arrows loose, and a rain of support fell onto the boat.

The flames grew slowly, licking at the portrait, spiraling up the mast of the ship, burning holes in the hull. The entirety of Berk watched the boat disappear on the horizon. A cold wind blew through the crowd off the ocean, sending chills to the bones of everyone there. Merida swore she could hear him, his laugh, ringing in her ears. Her eyes widened and she turned to her mom, whose eyes were wide, a smile spread across her face, as the tears rolled down her cheeks. The two of them shared a knowing glance, knowing that Fergus would be with them forever, if they just listened.

Merida sat at home in front of the fire in the living room of Hiccups house wrapped in a blanket. She wore his large pajama pants and one of her father's shirts that had survived the wreckage. She pulled the fabric up to her face and took a deep breath, the musk that was her father dulled her senses and she let a tear slide down her face. She took a shaky breath, willing herself not to cry. She heard the door open and close. Thinking it was Hiccup, she paid no mind to the person who sat next to her, but the shock of blonde hair next to her was a surprise.

"Hey." Astrid said quietly.

"Hello." Merida returned.

"Listen, I'm sorry for earlier. It was selfish of me. You're right. I'm not completely over Hiccup, and it took a fight with someone I don't even know to figure it out. I acted like a child. I was jealous that you were getting so much attention. I just… I guess I've held this grudge against anyone outside our world, the Viking world. My dad, he was killed during the war with Scotland when I was about seven. I know it was thirteen years ago, but I just can't get over it. It was something that broke my family. I was really close to my dad…"

"A get et. A was close ta mah da' tew. He gave me mah first bow." Merida pursed her lips. "He was one of the kings on yer side, by the way. He probably fought with yer da'." Astrid's eyes widened.

"What?"

"DunBroch was on the side with the Vikings. We didnae agree with all the rules the kings in Eastern Scotland were doing. Peace was really settled with one thing."

"What was that?" Astrid asked, leaning closer.

"Mah hand in marriage when A became of age." Merida said, staring into the fire. "Et was one of the hardest decisions mah da' ever made. He told me about et after the first competition fer mah hand. Anyone of status in or around Scotland, were eligible ta fight fer mah hand. They didnae expect me ta fight fer mahself." The two girls sat in silence, just watching the fingers of the fire prod the stone walls of the fireplace for what seemed like hours.

"Yer lucky Astrid. Yah really are."

"What? How am I lucky? Like I said earlier, you're a princess. How am I the lucky one?"

"Bein' royalty doesn' mean a thing, et's what yah dae with yer position that really matters. But even royalty faces hardships, an' A don't mean dealing with problems in the villages. A mean within yerself. When A was a wee lass, mah da' would take me with him when he would go inta town ta deal with some problems. One day A got bored, so A snuck off ta find some other kids ta play with, A was maybe five or six, and when A found some kids A introduced mahself. But none of the kids wanted anythin' ta do with me. They ran away from me, they avoided me, an' A didnae even know why. A'd never felt so alone in mah life. When we went out after that A never left mah da's side. Yer lucky in the fact that yah have friends who care about yah, an' would sacrifice themselves fer yah ef et came down ta it. Yah've had yer friends all yer life, and yer so close ta them. A've been here fer a month, nothin' will ever grant me access ta them like yew dae. Astrid, yer lucky, in every sense of the word." Merida turned to look at the blonde sitting next to her and gave her a genuine smile, eyes crinkling, lips turning up, and every laugh line on her face showing their use.

Astrid couldn't believe the woman in front of her. This girl had been through so much and, only a year older than her, probably understood so much more that she could ever grasp. Merida grew up lonely, knowing only what it's like to be her own best friend, seeking comfort in the only constant she knew, her parents. Astrid would never understand what it's like, growing up alone. She had always been surrounded in acceptance and compassion, not just from her parents but from everyone in Berk. But even out of the loneliness Merida grew up in, she bloomed into such an accepting, and flexible person. This woman just bared a part of her soul to the person that just fought her no less than an hour ago. This woman helped her realize something she couldn't even find within herself and, having never so much as spoken to her before, knew her better than she did. Astrid was always proud of the fact she wasn't an open book, but this woman unnerved her to the core.

"Yah know, we're not that different." Merida mused, smiling at the fire. Astrid smiled and nodded her head. The two girls sat there,, watching the fire, talking to each other, laughing, bonding.

Hiccup and Eret stood outside the house, watching the scene unfold in front of them. Eret clipped Hiccup on the back and grinned at the younger man. Hiccup smiled, watching the two women inside, his heart warming when Merida let out a deep throated laugh. This was a great start, to a new friendship, like a flower blooming out of the ashes of a burnt building, this friendship was going to be beautiful.


	7. Chapter Seven

The sun streamed through her window, the dragons croaked outside, and the smell of fresh fried meat wafted in the air. Merida took a deep breath, a sleepy smile slid across her face, and stretched, wiggling her fingers and toes. She rolled out of bed, not bothering to flatten her hair, there was no trying, it was useless.

Merida walked out of her bedroom and was greeted by a table full of food. Merida bounced to the table, and sat down at an empty plate. She picked out her breakfast, and soon, Hiccup joined her, his pajamas still on.

"Good mornin'!" Merida chirped. Hiccup flushed and smiled.

"Good morning." Hiccup sat across from her and filled his plate. They ate in a somewhat awkward silence, both stealing glances at each other. Merida was the first to break the silence.

"Hiccup," she cleared her throat, "Hiccup, A have a question."

"Y-yeah?" Hiccup choked out around his swallow of eggs.

"What exactly, are we? A mean, A know we're friends, but, yesterday, A just, A don't know. A'm not keen on this whole, datin' thing, an' A don't know what et means, but A don't wanna-" Merida was cut off by Hiccup's laughter. Merida crossed her arms and huffed.

"What's so funny?"

"It's not funny, it's just, I was thinking the same thing."

"Oh…"

"Merida, I can't lie. I like you, quite a bit. I haven't known you long, but I do have feelings for you that I can't really explain." A flush spread across Merida's face and spread to her shoulders. Hiccup watched fascinated as the red took over the complexion of her creamy skin.

"A, A like yah tew Hiccup."

"So, why don't we give it a go? Merida, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" Merida smiled and gave him a quick nod, the knots in her stomach she didn't even know she had unraveled, and she dug into the food on her plate. Hiccup smiled and began eating, still stealing glances at the woman in front of him.

Merida followed Hiccup through the woods. Apparently there were sightings of a dragon that they though had disappeared a while ago. Right now they were looking down a hole that couldn't possibly have been made by any regular animal. Hiccup dropped to his knees and put his ear by the hole.

"What are yah doin?" Merida asked, arms folded across her chest.

"I'm listening." Hiccup said matter-of-factly.

"Why?"

"Well, the dragon we're looking for is called the Whispering Death. They're blind, but they sorta whisper to communicate. If you listen close enough you can hear them. Merida nodded her head, trying to take in what he was saying. She turned on her heels, and saw something poking out of the bushes. She slowly approached the bushes, crouching low and keeping her steps as soft as she could. Peeling back the leaves her heart sank to her feet.

"Hiccup, what dae the Whispering Death's look like?"

"Well, they look like a snake- no legs- spikes all over, and a very bulbous head. They have milky eyes, and a full mouth of teeth that circle inside the mouth too. Why?"

"Because A found a dead one."

"What?" Hiccup stood up and made his way to Merida.

"A found a dead one, see?" Hiccup peered over the leaves and, low and behold, on the ground lay a dead Whispering Death. Its face had been torn to pieces, its wings shredded. It was missing teeth, so it had put up a fight. Something big had taken down this dragon. Hiccup looked up at Merida, who was looking at the dragon, trying to figure out what could have torn it apart.

A whistling came from the hole and Merida and Hiccup both snapped to attention.

"What was that?" Merida asked, eyes searching for an answer. Hiccup shook his head.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." Hiccup jumped down into the hole and Merida ran to the edge.

"Hiccup! Are yah crazy? Get out of that hole!"

"I have to know what's going on Merida. Why don't you come with me?" Merida chewed her bottom lip and looked back to where the village was.

"It'll be an adventure." Hiccup sing-songed from the hole. Merida scrunched up her face and growled. She couldn't turn down an adventure. She jumped into the hole and Hiccup flashed her a smile.

"Oh shove off." Merida said, pushing past him. Hiccup chuckled and caught up to the fiery woman. They wandered the hole, Merida looking all around, amazed that something could actually do this to the rocks.

"Hiccup, how many of these things are there?"

"Well, last time we counted, there were six."

"Well, et looks like there's more now."

"What?" Hiccup turned around and the sight he saw brought fear to his heart. There were hundreds of small tunnels in the rock above them. They kept walking, and came across shells of eggs that were long hatched. Merida felt something in her stomach knot.

"Hiccup, somethin' doesn't feel right."

"I feel it too."

"We should go back." Merida started to go back the way she came when the ground beneath her gave way.

"Merida!" Hiccup called as he saw her disappear. He ran to the new tunnel.

"Hiccup! You need to see this!" Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief before making his way down the tunnel. When he got down there he was shocked to see what was there. A large pile of bones lay in the middle of the cavern.

"Those babies didn't last long…" Merida whispered. Hiccup nodded, but it wasn't just baby skeletons that were in the pile. Full grown skeletons of Whispering Deaths were in the bones along with a lot of fish. A huge tunnel was behind the pile and an eerie whispering swirled around them. A breeze picked up, pushing the two toward the tunnel they were staring into. Merida's hair whipped at her face and even lashed out at Hiccup. The man peered into the depths of the tunnel, his heart pounding a rhythm in his ears. Two red eyes peered at them and suddenly the beat stopped in Hiccups ears. He grabbed Merida's hand and gave it a squeeze.

The hair on Merida's body stood on end, and she felt like she was turned to stone, but when Hiccup squeezed her hand it melted away some of the fear in her heart. She flicked her eyes to Hiccup who gently nodded behind them, motioning for her to follow him when he took off. Merida gave a shaky nod in response and before she knew it they were running for their lives. Hiccup pulled out his sword, lighting it to guide them through the tunnels so they weren't completely blind in the dark. They could hear the dragon behind them, the beating of its wings, the screeching echoing through the tunnels.

"Hiccup! What es that thing?"

"It's called a Screaming Death. We think it's what controls the Whispering Deaths."

"Es et like, a queen or somethin'?"

"Why would you think it's a queen?" Hiccup jerked her to the left, going down a new tunnel.

"Well, most female animals are bigger than their counterparts. What if the Whisperin' Deaths are just boys." A realization donned on Hiccup, just as his sword lost its spark.

"Making the females rare! And in charge! Merida you're a genius!"

"We can agree later, we need ta get out of here!" They stopped at a divide in the tunnels, the screaming getting closer and closer.

"No. No, no! Et can't end like this! We're goin' ta get out of here. We just need… A Wisp!"

"Merida, we aren't in DunBroch!"

"No, Hiccup, there's a Wisp behind yew!" Merida grabbed Hiccup's shoulders and turned him around. There in front of them in the left tunnel was a little blue Wisp, floating a few inches above the ground. Merida grabbed Hiccup's hand and pulled him through the tunnels, the Wisp leading the way out. They could hear the dragon behind them, suddenly the Dragon appeared from a side tunnel and the two took off faster, adrenalin filling their veins. They could see a light at the end of the tunnel they were in, the Wisp went father, and father, and Hiccup and Merida ran faster and faster. Soon the Wisp stopped at the end of the tunnel, and Merida and Hiccup ran through it into the open air. Merida swore she heard her father whisper in her ear 'Good luck mah wee bear', but before she could understand she felt gravity pulling her down.

They hit the water with a smack, the air being knocked out of them. Merida surfaced first, gasping for breath. She looked around, but didn't see the mop of brown hair that was Hiccup surface. Panic filled her heart, and she thrashed around.

"Hiccup? Hiccup? Hiccup!" Merida yelled, looking for the awkward man. She took a deep breath and plunged into the frigid waters. The salt felt like fire in her eyes, but she ignored that, looking for Hiccup. A gleam of metal caught her eyes and she reached for it. She gripped it and pulled Hiccup to the surface. As quickly as she could she made her way to the shore. She drug Hiccup onto the sand and pulled off the armor on his chest.

"Hiccup! Hiccup." Merida shuddered and started chest compressions. She tilted back his head, plugged his nose and breathed air into his lungs. She pumped his heart, and repeated the cycle. What felt like an eternity passed before Hiccup coughed, water spilling from his mouth.

Through the haze he saw a mass of red, and soon everything came into focus. First it was her hair, that mess of red tangles. Then it was her shoulders, her clothes were dripping wet. The last thing that came into focus was the happy, terrified, relieved smile, and watery eyes. He could faintly hear her talking to him.

"Thank God, oh thank God. Thank whoever was lookin' out fer yew. A thought A lost yah. A, A thought." Hiccup sat up and instinctively wrapped his arms around the woman who was on her knees shaking from fright, or cold. He pulled her close, and she melted into his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sobs racked her body and Hiccup ran his hands through the wet mess that was her hair.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm fine see? All ten fingers, all five toes."

"Five! Only five?" She looked down at his feet in a panic, completely forgetting about his prosthetic. Hiccup laughed and shook his head. He slowly rose to his feet, stumbling a little as he did, sending Merida to his side with a steady hand. Hiccup gave Merida one of his famous lop-sided smiles that would normally send butterflies through her stomach, but now it only set a fire in her heart.

"Hiccup, how are yah okay? Yah almost died!"

"I'm a Viking, it's an occupational hazard." That matter-of-fact statement earned Hiccup a punch in the shoulder, actually, a few.

"Why yah no good, death defin', hooligan!" Merida yelled, punctuating every gritted word with a shove. Hiccup stumbled backwards, hands raised in surrender.

"Hey, It's not like I do it on purpose."

"Ugh!" Merida stomped off.

"Do you even know where you are?"

"NO! But if A keep walkin', A'll find Berk."

"Merida, there's a shorter way."

"And?"

"And, you're wet, and cold, and you'll get sick if you don't come with me."

"Well, I'm a DunBroch. Et's an occupational hazard." Hiccup shrugged.

"Okay. I'll meet you at the docks." Merida responded with holding both hands up, birds flying on each.

Merida trudged up the shore of Berk to the docks. It had been three hours. She didn't think Berk was that big. But then again, she was walking in sand, in wet clothes that probably weighed a good twenty pounds. She blew her hair out of her face, wishing for a hair tie. Her hair, while mostly wet, was beginning to frizz to unhuman levels. She saw Hiccup sitting on the dock before he saw her. She growled as she noticed that he was not only there before her, but he had time to change clothes. She glared at the every growing speck that was her boyfriend, and kept walking, at least keeping somewhat warm.

When she got closer, Hiccup stood from the dock, blanket in hand, sideways smile on his face, and her heart instantly melted. She couldn't stay angry at him. She couldn't even be angry at him. She made the choice to walk the shores instead of listening to Hiccup.

"Did you have a nice trip?" Hiccup asked, wrapping the blanket around Merida's shoulders.

"Oh yes. A defiantly did. Et was riveting." Merida said, snuggling into the fur. Hiccup smiled and shook his head.

"Are you ready to go home?" Merida nodded and began walking to the docks before she stopped dead in her tracks. She felt it rise through her body, a signal of the end. Her eyes widened, shivers went down her spine, and she felt it tug at the back of her eyes.

She sneezed. A full body, hip bending, eye rolling, arm flinging, sneeze.

Hiccup turned on his heel, not even letting her recover.

"What was that?"

"Et was coincidence. Yah gave me a fur blanket. Sometimes et happens." But what she wasn't prepared for was the next sneeze, and the next. Hiccup crossed his arms, and ran his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Really? Sounds to me like you're sick."

"A'm no'" But the ache in her voice gave it away. Hiccup grinned a triumphant smile and scooped Merida into his arms.

"A can walk. A'm sick, no dyin'" Merida crossed her arms and huffed.

"Yeah, maybe I was gonna do this anyway. I gotta sweep you off your feet somehow."

"Yeah, and dragon can't do that. Et would not be faster than yew either, would et?" Hiccup placed a kiss on her forehead, which caused her to smile and, ultimately, give in and kiss him on the cheek.

The next few days Merida was bed bound. When she arrived, in the arms of Hiccup, she was greeted by her mother, who gave her a knowing smile. Merida flushed and shimmied out of his arms and promptly flung herself into her mother's arms.

"Mum, A feel nasty."

"Don't worry mah wee lamb, A'll make yah some stew." Merida sniffed and nodded, making her way into the house.

"Suck up." Hamish said under his breath.

"If yah play yer cards right, yah can all be sick tomorrow." Merida winked at her grinning brothers. The boys smiled at each other and spent as much time around Merida as they could before Elinor and Val shooed them away. Needless to say, the boys were bed bound the next day.

It was now Wednesday, and Merida felt better than she had in a while. She stretched in bed, the congestion in her head gone, it was like the sun coming out on a foggy day. She breathed in fresh air through her nose and bolted for her dresser. She pulled out a brown pelt button down tank top and pulled on some leather arm braces. She tied them up carefully and then pulled on a pair of leather pants. She wrapped a plaid sash around her waist and decided to let her hair fall naturally. Clipping a fur cape around her shoulders over her quiver and grabbing her bow, Merida decided that she was going to do something productive with her day.

Merida bounced through the door of the house and strolled to the training arena. She sat on one of the benches and watched as Hiccup explained how to use his sword, he had been making those with evert second of his free time, and often stayed up late at nights to finish them. Merida had felt left out that she didn't get one, but she wasn't in school, she wasn't a dragon rider. And that thought bubbled inside her all two hours she watched them learn. She felt envious that everyone but her really had a dragon. Even the boys were given Terrible Terrors as pets, courtesy of the Twins of course. Val was taking Elinor to Dragon's Paradise, an iceberg with a tropical twist inside full of dragons, not too far off of Berk. Merida wanted so desperately to have her own dragon, and that's what sparked her into action.

She bolted for the door and waited for Hiccup to finish training. When he walked through the doors she bombarded him.

"Hiccup, A want a dragon."

"What?" Hiccup stopped walking.

"A want mah own dragon. A want yah ta help me train a dragon."

"Okay."

"A knew yah were gonna say that. But A've been her for over a month, and mah mum, wait, okay?"

"Yeah, I think you're right. It's about time you got a dragon." Merida's face light up and she took him by the hand and pulled him to Toothless.

After they had packed a lunch and strapped up Toothless, the two of them were ready to go. Merida bounced in the saddle behind Hiccup, excited to get going. Hiccup smiled and shook his head at the woman behind him and patted Toothless lovingly on the head.

"Alright bud, let's go." And they were off.


	8. Chapter Eight

They flew for hours, visited every place Hiccup could think of, tried getting her to bond to countless dragons, but none of them were right. Merida never felt a connection with them. Which led them to where they were now, flying aimlessly through the sky. They had been flying for most of the day, and it seemed Merida was losing hope. Hiccup looked around him, suddenly realizing that they had broken through a thick wall of dark clouds.

"A'm not sayin' tha' A'm never gonna find a dragon, but A'm never gonna find a dragon." Merida sighed, leaning back on her elbows.

"Don't say that Merida. There's a dragon for everyone. It just takes time."

"How long did et take fer yah and Toothless ta bond?"

"That's not important. Everyone's different. A saved him, remember."

"After yah tried ta kill him." Merida muttered under her breath. Hiccup didn't look at Merida, or even reply because he realized where they were. The new islands lay beneath them, and they were quickly approaching to Island of the Death Song.

"We're going back. Maybe stop in on our moms, try there again."

"Hiccup, we were there fer hours! A really don' think tha' there's a dragon fer me..." Merida found interest in one of her curls as Hiccup tried to pull Toothless back the way they came, but the Night Fury had other ideas.

"Bud, we need to go this way. Let's go back home. Toothless, no!" Hiccup struggled with the dragon, but Toothless wasn't changing direction. They were gaining speed, heading straight to the blooming island. As they got closer the two could hear the call of a dragon drifting through the wind.

"Hiccup, what is tha'?"

"It's a dragon called the Death Song. It lures in dragons with its song and then traps them in amber before it eats them. It's not trainable." Hiccup said, memories playing in his mind.

They landed inside a maze of high cliffs covered in moss and vines. Once Toothless landed Hiccup pulled Merida off the saddle and ducked behind a nearby pillar.

"Hiccup, what are yah doin'? Why would yah leave Toothless out there if the dragon wants ta eat him?"

"Because I can get Toothless out of there, I can't worry about him and you being in trouble." Merida chewed her lip as she watched Toothless from around the corner, worry written on her face. Toothless sat in the center of the crevasse, staring at the skies. A shadow was cast over Toothless, blocking the sun from view. A shriek vibrated off the stones around them, causing Toothless to cock his head to the side. A large dragon landed on top of a cliff, towering over the Night Fury. Merida looked in astonishment at the dragon. It was beautiful.

Its body was a vivid canary color that faded into amber. Small, turquois, wave like patterns lined the edges of its wings and the tips of its wings matched. One each wing there were two patterns that looked like eyes, reminding Merida of the butterflies that filled the woods around her home. Sky blue frills fanned out from each side of its neck. Its small arms were held tightly to its body. Horns ran between its wings, and two horns stuck out on either side of its head with a large horn completing the arch of its nose. It had long thin body, and large back legs to match its teeth. It looked down at Toothless and screamed. A sticky amber glob shot through the air and encased the small dragon. Toothless was send flying into the pillar the two were hiding behind. Merida gasped and buried her face in her hands, trying not to give away their hiding spot.

"What is it doing? Why isn't it leaving?" Panic rose in Hiccup's voice. He ran from one pillar to the next. He disappeared behind the next pillar, darting around to try and make a distraction. He threw a rock at the Death Song, causing the dragon to snap its head around to find where it was coming from. Merida peered around the pillar, only to see that Toothless was the only dragon there. Dread filled her heart as she realized that Toothless was the main course. Panic wrapped her brain, and she sent out a prayer that Hiccup knew what he was doing when a familiar voice broke through her fear.

"Woah now. I bet that you remember me, I know I remember you. But I'm just gonna-" the dragon screeched, cutting Hiccup short, "or not. That works too." Merida looked around the side of her hiding spot to see that Hiccup was being cornered by the large dragon. Something inside Merida bubbled inside of her, something that she hadn't felt since the day that her father tried to behead her mother.

Merida darted from her hidng spot.

"Merida! What are you doing? Go hide!" Hiccup's pleas fell on deaf ears as Merida wedged herself between the dragon and the young man. The dragon roared, and Merida yelled back. The Death Song staggered, and Merida took advantage of the dragons surprise and kept going.

"What dae yah think yer doin'?" The dragon lunged forward, teeth glittering.

"Merida!" The princess did the only thing she could think of.

She stuck out her hand, palms to the dragon, eyes fierce. The Death Song stopped, looking at Merida's hand in contemplation before it closed its eyes and slowly placed its snout in her hand. Merida grinned back at Hiccup, who was looking at her with astonishment. Not even he could train a Death Song.

As Merida crooned over the dragon, Hiccup watched with steely eyes as he carefully made his way to Toothless. The dragon let out a low growl, which gifted it a thump between the eyes.

"We dae no' growl at friends. We dae no' eat them either!" Merida narrowed her eyes at the dragon who responded with a huff of smoke.

Hiccup light the amber around Toothless on fire, releasing him from the sticky mess. The now un-incarcerated Night Fury jumped up and tentatively made his way to the Death Song. The two dragons slowly circled each other warily. The Death Song whined and fell to the ground and Toothless rolled his eyes and sauntered back to Hiccup.

Hiccup smiled at Merida, still astonished that she bonded with a dragon, a dragon that even he couldn't bond with, by herself. Hiccup slowly made his way to Merida's side.

"How do you do it?" Merida's head snapped to him.

"Dae wha'?"

"Bond with a dragon, this one in particular, so easily?"

"Sometimes yah need ta assert yer dominance. Et's kinda' like trainin' dogs with mah da'." Hiccup nodded.

"Well, are you ready to start training your dragon?" Merida's eyes grew round. "I mean, you have to get home somehow." Hiccup winked at the Scott who was jumping in circles, too excited to stand still.

Valka and Elinor scanned the skies, their children had left a long time ago and it was well past nightfall.

"Don' worry Elinor, Hiccup is an excellent flier. He's had year of practice. They'll be fine." Val placed a supportive hand on Elinor's shoulder. The former queen lay her hand on her friends.

"A know. They're both capable adults. But A'm still worried…" Elinor sighed and turned her attention back to the dark skies.

Val smiled as she saw the familiar glimmer of Hiccup's prosthetic in the moonlight.

"Elinor, Elinor look! They're here!" Elinor let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding as the silhouette of two dragons appeared on the moon. When they landed, the mothers ran to them, one to their only daughter, the other to a new dragon.

"What a warm welcome for your only child."

"Oh hush. A knew yah'd be fine." Val said as she inspected the dragon.

"What kind of dragon is this?" Val asked, eyes shining.

"A Death Song? Your dragon is a Death Song?" Fishlegs asked in shock at training the next morning.

"Aye, an' her name is Cyhiraeth.*"

"That's… one hell of a name." Astrid said, playfully taunting the Scott.

"Fer one hell of a dragon."

"What does it mean?" Fishlegs asked, tapping his fingers together, a tick he has when he's excited, or nervous.

"Legend has et that in the Scottish woods a spirit lurks. She lets out a wail, sometimes luring unsuspectin' victims inta the thick bush. They'd follow the cries deep inta the forest, only ta get lost, fer after a while everythin' looked the same. When the victim got close, the cries stopped. Confused, the person would keep walkin'." A silence fell on the arena as Merida's voice echoed off the stone walls. Everyone was entranced with the legend she was weaving.

"They'd keep walkin' and walkin', never really gettin' anywhere. They would walk in circles, until their legs gave out. Then they'd crawl, until they couldn't keep their weight up. The woods has a way of distorin' time too. What they thought were minutes, were actually days. They wouldn't eat, or sleep, or stop, until et was too late. As they lat their head down fer their final rest on the mortal plane, a scream would sound through the woods, right before they slipped inta the next realm, never ta open their eyes again. So, the name kinda fits her, with that song an' all." The silence lasted for a few minutes before a voice broke it.

"B-" Fishlegs cleared his throat, "but that's just a legend, right Merida?"

"Aye Fishlegs, but legends ring with thruths." Merida said, eyes shining with memories, a small smile on her face before training continued.

After everyone left the arena, Hiccup stopped Merida at the gates.

"I want to do some basic training and learning with Cyhiraeth." Merida pursed her lips, it was noon, lunch was in the Great Hall, and she'd been up since dawn.

"I'll make you a special lunch." Hiccup said, and that was all it took for Merida to walk back into the arena.

"Alright, we're going to test her flight first, okay?" Merida nodded as Hiccup prepped Cyhiraeth. As Hiccup put the Death Song through tests, he'd scribble into one of his journals.

'*Speed-17

*Armor-16

*Venom-0

*Stealth-'

Hiccup looked at the bright yellow dragon trying to hide in the brush they'd brought in.

'0'

Be gave her things to bite down on, each one a different level.

'*Jaw strength-10'

Hiccup would throw things into the air for her to shoot.

'*Shot limit-8

*Fire power-13

*Fire type- Amber-like substance

*Habitat- not clear

*Trainable-'

Hiccup scribbled out the 'no' he originally put down and replaced it with a sloppy 'yes'. Now it was time for the final test. Hiccup opened a barrel and stuck his hand in slowly pulling out the contents. In his hand was a very dead, half rotten eel. Cyhiraeth cocked her head to the side. Hiccup slowly stepped to the large dragon as he held out his hand. Cyhiraeth hopped forward on her hind legs, chirping like a bird, and cocking her head from side to side. Hiccup got closer, but the dragon didn't back off. Hiccup threw the eel in the air and she slurped it down.

"Wha' was tha' fer?" Merida asked, arms across her chest, confusion on her face.

"Most dragons don't like eels. It's always good to know which ones do and don't, just in case. It can get you out of some pretty sticky situations." Merida nodded her head and stored the information in the back of her mind for later.

"Now can we eat?" Merida asked, eyes glittering as her stomach let out an unnaturally human sound. Hiccup smiled and nodded.

"Yes, you baby, we can eat now." Merida grinned and made her way to Cyhiraeth. Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her.

"Let her explore. I've got a place in mind." Merida looked between her dragon and Hiccup for a few seconds before deciding that it wouldn't be too bad to let Cyhiraeth explore with Toothless for a while. Merida took Hiccups hand and smiled.

"Lead the way."

Hiccup pulled Merida across the village, stopping at his house. He made her wait outside while he filled a basket with things he believed that he needed. He tied a blindfold around her eyes and pulled her everywhere. She knew he was leading her through a million places to try and keep her from knowing where they were, but when her feet began to sink into the ground she shook her head, knowing instantly they were at the beach. Hiccup stopped, dropping Merida's hand.

"Just, stand there, okay?" Merida nodded her head and crossed her arms. Hiccup was gone for about seven minutes before he came back to Merida. He unwrapped the blindfold and Merida snorted.

Laid out in front of her was a picnic. A blanket was splayed on the ground, and a fire was crackling in front of them, fish on a rotisserie spit cooking. There were flowers in the middle of the blanket, and two plates were sat on either side of the basket, which held their drink and cups.

"What? You don't like it?"

"No, no. Hiccup, A love et. Et's just, not what A expected." Merida placed a kiss on his cheek. "Et's sweet, et really is. A'm sorry that A laughed." Hiccup smiled.

"I probably would have laughed too." Merida punched him in the arm and sat down on the blanket.

"Rude." She grinned up at him and he smirked down at her.

"Me?" He plopped down lazily. "Never."

"Oh, oh, oh," Merida laughed out, "okay, whatever yah say."

The two enjoyed their lunch, talking and joking with each other. But the moment was ruined when something caught Hiccup's attention in the distance. He rose to his feet slowly and Merida looked at him confused.

"Wha' is et Hiccup?"

"Merida, I want you to go get your brothers and tell my mother to get the village to the safe zone."

"What? Hiccup, I don't understand."

"Merida, we don't have time to argue, just go. Run!" Hiccup hoisted her up and pushed her off. Merida did what she was told, her hair whipping behind her as she made her way up the cliff to the village.

"Val! Val!" Merida ran through the village calling for the matron of Berk. Gobber stopped her, taking ahold of her shoulders.

"Where yah goin' lassie? Yah look in a hurry!"

"GOBBER! Yah have ta get the village to the safe zone."

"What? The safe zone is only used when-"

"Hiccup said ta do et! There's somethin' commin' fer Berk!" Gobber closed his mouth and hobbled to his shop. He kicked his dragon, Grump, as he mumbled to him. The dragon sputtered as he rose to his feet. Gobber shuffled around him and blew into a horn that bounced off each house, causing the villagers to leave their homes. They shuffled towards a pair of large double doors that were on the side of a man made cliff.

"What is that?" Merida asked looking at the doors.

"Stoick had et made a while ago fer when things got too hairy, either with dragons or with other nations. We hollowed out the stone ta lead all the way down ta the beaches on the other side of the island. There are some boats and rations for the people. And of course there's enough room for the dragons now too. Come on lassie, time ta get down there."

"But A don't know where mah family is! A can't leave them up here."

"I understand that, but we have ta get down there, that's an order." He picked up Merida and threw her over his shoulder. She hit his back, and kicked his shoulders.

"Gobber! Gobber, put me down! Put me down this instant!"

"Can't do tha' Princess. If I did that, Hiccup would never forgive me." Merida groaned and gave up her struggle, laying limp in Gobber's arms. He shifted uneasily.

"Are yah okay?" Merida didn't reply. "Lassie?" Still nothing. "Damn et, not again!" He took Merida off his shoulder and set her down, where she promptly jumped up and ran off, knowing Gobber stood no chance at catching her.

Hiccup stood at the edge of the waters, watching the ship come in. He had called Toothless the second that Merida had disappeared in the village. She was safe, and that's all that mattered right now. The first thing that he saw when the ship came closer was the flag. The outcast flag. And there were only two people who flew that flag in these waters. He pulled out his telescope to get a better look. His heart clenched and his breathing got shallow. He gripped the telescope in frustration. He shouldn't be here.

"Dagur." He growled out, shutting the telescope a little too hard, earning him a pointed look from Toothless, who no doubt already knew who was on his way.

"You ready bud?" Hiccup sighed out. Toothless gave a soft screech in reply, the frills on his back standing on end. "Me too."

"Hiccup!" The man turned around and saw an all too familiar glint of red hair bouncing toward him.

"Damn it Gobber!" Hiccup looked between the approaching boat, to Merida. He turned and ran to the young woman.

"You're supposed to be with the village!"

"A can't leave yah here by yerself!"

"Yes you can!" He turned back to the boat and groaned, throwing his hands in the air. There was no way he was getting her to the village in time, not even on Toothless.

"Alright. Come with me. But stay where I tell you. Do not come out. Do not say anything. Stay. Still. Merida. This is serious." Hiccup's eyes burned into hers, and she'd never seen such animosity in his eyes before.

"O-okay." Merida said, taking his hand hesitantly.

'Wha' have A gotten mahself inta this time?' She thought as Hiccup hid her behind Toothless.

"I swear, Merida, you need to stay here." Merida nodded and Hiccup returned to his spot at the edge of the shore.

About ten minutes passed before the boat landed on the shores. Toothless backed a little closer to Merida, making sure she was out of sight. A long board fell from the boat and a man, not much taller than Hiccup, strutted down. He had a shaggy, dark brown beard and blue paint across his eye that looked as if he was slashed in the face by a claw. He was pretty beefy, but Merida couldn't tell if that was muscle or not. He wore a silver helmet with two wicked horns pointing to the sky and a full chest of armor. He approached Hiccup and smiled.

"Hiccup! Nice to see you! Didn't expect to see you here!"

"Dagur, this is Berk. I live here. I'm chief. What do you want?" Hiccup deadpanned.

"Oh nothing! Just stopping by my new neighbor! Thought I'd let you know that you're going to be seeing a lot more of me."

"What are you talking about Dagur?"

"Oh, just that I've recently, came across some new land that was in need of claiming."

"And where is this land?" Hiccup asked.

"Not far, just Scotland. I heard that something nasty happened to a kingdom there. What a shame." A sick smirk twisted his features and the gears in Hiccups head aligned.

"Dagur, you need to go."

"Or what? Your Night Fury will blast my ship to pieces? But then you'd be stuck with me here. And I know you really don't want that, do you Hiccup?"

"Dagur, get on your ship, and leave."

"Is that any way to talk to the new king of Dunbroch?" And in that moment, Hiccup knew that hiding Merida was a lost cause. She shot out from behind the dragon, instantly at Hiccup's side. She pulled out his sword, knocked Dagur to the ground and pinned him down.

"Wha' did yah say?" Anger burned in her eyes as Merida met the man who destroyed her home.

"Were you a villager? I heard that some of them made it out. What a shame." A wicked smile spread across his face and Merida ignited Hiccup's sword, the flames inches from Dagur's skin. He could feel the heat become uncomfortable.

"Actually-" Hiccup started, but Merida gave him a glare that made him close his mouth.

"Mah name, is Merida. Merida DunBroch. First born ta Queen Elinor, and King Fergus. Heir ta the throne of Dunbroch." The smile fell from Dagur's face.

"That, that's not possible! I was told that-"

"YOU WERE WRONG!" Merida screamed in his face. Dagur scrambled from Merida, trying to get back to his ship, but Toothless jumped in front of him. He turned and was face to face with a very angry Merida. She raised the sword, attempting to slash at the man, but Hiccup swiped it from her before she could swing it.

"You're right Dagur, I don't want you here. But if you really want to stay here with her, her mother, and three brothers, I suggest that you leave. Now. And don't try going back to Dunbroch. We'll be there. And you will not leave. Bud, please?" Toothless nodded to Hiccup in acknowledgment and threw the man back into his ship. The dragon flapped his wings, sending the boat into the water, and away from Berk.

"Hiccup! What did yah dae? He killed mah family! He destroyed mah home! Why would yah just let him leave?" Merida screamed at the man in front of her.

"Because Dagur isn't capable of doing that damage on his own. He's crazy, deranged really. He was the one to pick up the pieces of the fallen kingdom, but he didn't destroy it. I promise. But Merida, he will lead us to the one who did. I know he will." Merida looked at Hiccup, and let the tears fall freely. She latched onto him as if she were drowning in the sea they were just feet from. She sobbed, her shoulders shaking.

"Promise me."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me, that when we find who did tha' ta mah home, they dae not get away."

"I promise Merida."

The outcast ship pulled into port, the lone passenger climbed his way back to shore.

"What did we learn?" A deep voice asked from the shadows.

"Well, the princess, queen, and three brats survived. But the king didn't."

"Good, good. Nice job Dagur." Dagur smirked.

"Thank you, Alvin."


	9. Chapter NIne

Merida and Hiccup stormed up the beach, through the village, and through the double doors. The village was there, their chatter filling the large area.

"I'm calling an emergency meeting, right now!" Hiccup's voice boomed off the rock walls, catching the attention of, and silencing, the entire village. "I need my dragon riders, I need my counsel, and I need Elinor and my mother. Now!" Those who were called up made their way quickly through the crowd. "The rest of you can go back to what you were doing." The group scattered, leaving the fourteen people standing in a circle. Hiccup led them to a large table in the front of the area.

"Spit it out. What happened?" Astrid asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"There were some, new developments today."

"What kind of "developments", Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, tapping his fingers. Hiccup sighed.

"Dagur was here. He, told me that he had claimed Dunbroch as his own."

"WHAT?" Elinor rose from her seat. "If he's the one who destroyed mah home-"

"Elinor, with all respect," Eret said from beside Astrid, "Dagur wouldn't do something like that. He's not smart enough." Val placed a hand on Elinor's shoulder.

"A have ta go back and reclaim mah kingdom."

"I couldn't agree with you more. That's why I'm taking measures to make sure you, and your kingdom, remain safe while you're there. I'm sending Eret and Astrid to teach you how to train your dragon. I'm sending Fishlegs, to scout and record any wild dragons that may be in your woods. I'm also sending ten of our villagers to help you rebuild up to dragon defense standards. Your homes will be fireproof, and dragon proof."

"Thank yah Hiccup."

"No thanks needed. Tonight we're going to prepare and pack. We leave tomorrow to get you settled and to start construction."

"How long will we be there Hiccup?" Astrid asked, obviously not really wanting to leave Berk.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Until we know what is going on with Dagur we'll have to keep people there without leaving Berk defenseless."

"We need to go over possible scenarios as to why Dagur would come here to gloat like that, it seems suspicious." Gobber said nodding his head to himself.

"I agree. It seems like this might be a diversion for something else." Spitlout added.

"You're both right. It seems suspicious that he would come here just to tell you that…" Hiccup paused, his eyes going blank.

"Wha'?" Merida asked, pointing to Hiccup.

"It's his thinking face. Just wait. Three… two… one." Astrid said, counting down on her fingers then pointing to the man.

"It was an intel mission." Hiccup stated bluntly.

"Why do yah think that?" Bucket asked.

"Just think about it. Someone took down a kingdom, but had to be sure that all of the remaining royalty was dead before they could take over without a hitch. So, what would be the best way to do that?"

"Send out a scout."

"Exactly. Dagur was alone. And if he wasn't just a scout then he would have had an entire ship of Outcasts with him. "

"Who is he working with?"

"Well, it could be Alvin…"

"No! He and Alvin had a falling out, remember?"

"But that doesn't mean that he couldn't have made amends with him."

"You're right. He could have offered his services to make amends. It's crazy, but it's probably what happened."

"So, wha' are we gonna' dae ta protect mah mum?"

"That's where we come in." Astrid said, gesturing to Eret and Fishlegs. "We're going to train your mom with her dragon and be there for protection."

"And if yah think she's goin' alone, yer wrong." Val said smiling at Merida.

"A need ta go with yew and the boys."

"No, Merida yah need ta stay here, with the boys." Elinor said.

"But mum!"

"No buts Merida." Merida groaned and thumped her head on the table. "Merida, yah need ta stay here and train with Hiccup. A promise, A'll be okay." Hiccup watched as Elinor placed a soft hand over her daughters and he chewed his lip.

"How about in one month we go and see her, check on progress?" Merida's head shot up and a smile split her face.

"A guess tha' sounds good." Hiccup nodded his head and finished the meeting. The group walked out of there and into the meeting hall.

The meeting hall was a large stone building with high ceilings and a large, circular table in the middle of the room. A long, slender, golden dragon hung from the ceiling with a long sword through it. Hiccup say at the head of the table and the villagers around him.

"Now, I need to inform you all that Dagur was here today. That's why you took shelter." Whispers erupted through the gathering and Hiccup waited a moment to silence them. "He was on a scouting mission, which we're assuming, was issued by Alvin. Dagur had made it clear that Dunbroch was the target. We're sending Elinor, my mother, Astrid, Eret, and Fishlegs back to Dunbroch. Merida and her brothers are to stay here. We need ten of our most skilled carpenters to go to Dunbroch to rebuild, and dragon proof the kingdom. Are there any volunteers?" About fifteen people volunteered and Hiccup chose the best of them to go.

The villagers left the meeting hall, some leaving to pack, some leaving to prepare supplies, some to just go home, but one person stayed in the hall, sitting in front of the fire in the back of the room. Merida sat on her knees, staring into the fire, her brain whirling around what had happened that day. It was too much to process in such a little time. This complete stranger comes to Berk, her new home, saying that he was the one who destroyed her real home, her entire childhood, her family. Then Hiccup says it's not him, but another stranger. Her mother decided to go back to Dunbroch, even though it probably wasn't safe. It's not like she didn't trust the people in Berk, Astrid and Eret especially, but that did nothing to calm her fears. Her mother was going to be back in destroyed, vulnerable, scorched Scotland, and she was going to be here in Berk, where she couldn't protect her mother, where she couldn't make sure she was okay. She just got her back. She did not want to lose her again.

Merida didn't notice the doors opening, or the footsteps of the person coming to sit next to her. Only the gravelly voice broke her concentration.

"It's rough, not knowing what going to happen, isn't it?" Merida looked over to see the shock of dirty blonde hair glowing in the firelight like the rings around the sun every morning. Ruffnut pulled her knees to her chest and looked at Merida. "There was a time when I didn't know if I was going to see my family ever again… I was stuck on this island with an angry dragon that we knew nothing about. I was away from the only constant that I had in my life. I didn't know if I was going to die, or if he was.

I know that my situation isn't the same as yours; I don't know what I would do if I thought I had lost Tuff and then found him again, only to give him up. I can tell you that, on one hand, it's going to be difficult, but on the other it will be an opportunity to find yourself, who you really want to be. Being away from Tuff, even if it was only for twenty four hours, really showed me that I was my own person, and that I am the creator of my own destiny. The master of my fate." Merida looked at Ruffnut, who was staring into the glowing ambers of the fire, a memory playing in the shadows of her eyes.

"Thank yew… Ruff, really, et-"

"Found yah! Why are you hiding in here? Why is it still so dark?" Tufffnut burst through the door, followed by three other pairs of feet. Harris, Hubert, and Hamish dove into Merida, sending her to the ground.

"Is et true tha' mum's goin' back ta Dunbroch?"

"Why can't we go?"

"A don' want ta leave mum on her own!"

"Et's not fair!" Merida shook her head as she sat on her knees.

"A know et's not fair, but mum has ta go back. She won't be alone though boys, Astrid and Eret are goin' with her, along with a lot of other people to rebuild the kingdom. Dae not worry. They have et all figured out." Merida ruffled the hair of her brothers and stood up. "Now, go play with yer dragons." The boys grinned and ran off. "AND DON'T BURN ANYTHIN' DOWN!" Merida turned to look at Ruffnut, but she was gone. Merida was left alone in the meeting hall with the echoes of her brother's laughter.

The sun broke above the horizon, the ocean churning in shades of magenta and cerulean. Elinor stretched in her bed, arms above her head. She sat up, her long, cocoa hair was tangled. Elinor didn't get much sleep that night as memories of her kingdom burning to the ground played behind her closed eyelids. She had mixed feelings about going back to Dunbroch. Her first problem was leaving her children behind now that she was with them again. Her second problem was that she was going into dangerous waters with this move. She knew it was risky, she herself had made calls like this one before while she and Fergus ruled over the kingdom. It was harder than anyone thought, and she knew that Hiccup had weighed all the options in his head. This was the best possible choice, but it didn't make it any easier for her to deal with.

Elinor got out of bed and padded to the vanity on the far wall and got ready for the day. She pulled her hair into two braids that hung off of each shoulder. She wore a deep blue, off the shoulder dress with thermal pants underneath. White fur lined the neckline and gold arm braces were strapped to her arms over her bandages that kept her knuckles from being wind chapped. She tenderly picked up the gold necklace that was adorned with emeralds. In the center was a small, hand carved pendant of a black bear that Fergus had made her after the bear incident. She gave choked laugh and clipped the necklace and went to her dresser. She slowly pulled her clothes out of the drawers, folded them neatly, and placed them in her bags. She was leaving today. It was really happening. She felt guilty for leaving her family again, but she knew that this needed to be done for their wellbeing and the wellbeing of her people. She needed to secure her kingdom again.

Elinor was finished packing sooner than she thought, and went to the dining hall to eat breakfast. After her breakfast was eaten, Elinor made her way back to Val's house. Her dragon wagged his body at Elinor, who patted the dragon's head lovingly. She really did love her dragon. It was called a razorwhip, and he was beautiful. His scales were hard, and covered his body like armor. They glistened in silver hues in the early morning sunlight. His sharp blue eyes pierced through Elinor. Every time she looked into them and she was reminded her of Fergus. She remembered very clearly seeing those eyes again.

She was with Val in a colossal iceberg that was home to hundreds of dragons. Val was flabbergasted at how many different dragons could live together without a hitch. It was so much like a community, a village, a kingdom. They sat there hours together, waiting for the right dragon to come along. Finally, Elinor was defeated. She was never going to find a dragon that suited her. There were some that came close, but there was just something about them that put her off. She sighed for the umpteenth time that afternoon as she turned to voice her thoughts to Val, a pair of eyes in the shadows that took the breath out of her lungs as memories of smiles past flitted through her mind. The dragon stepped out of the shadows as Elinor stepped toward the winged reptile.

"He's perfect." She breathed out, placing a warm hand on his cool snout. Val walked up behind her friend.

"A see yah found one."

"Yes."

"What's his name, dear?"

"Braw*" Elinor declared. Val nodded her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"A told ya so."

"Hush you."

Elinor smiled as she recalled the memory of finding her dragon, and slowly walked through the village. She took in the sights, the people, and every sound she could. She walked into Val's hut and sighed deeply as the soft smells of basil, and lavender dulled her senses. She made her way to her room to grab her bags, but was stopped short by three pairs of arms wrapping around her waist.

"A don' want yah to go mum!"

"Why can't we go with yah?"

"Yah can't go back without us!" Elinor chuckled at her sons and scooped down to their level. She scooped them into her arms.

"Mah wee lambs, et's gonna be okay. A promise. An' yah can still come see me." There was a collective sigh of relief as if a weight was lifted off their shoulders. "Now boys, A have ta get mah things." The slowly released their mother and shuffled out of the hut as Elinor stepped over the threshold of her room one last time. She wrapped her fingers around her bag and stopped, looking out her window. Footsteps behind her broke Elinor's focus. She turned on her heels and gave her visitor a watery smile. In the doorway stood her daughter. She was wearing a long sleeved emerald dress that fell to her mid-thigh with a pair of tight black pants on underneath. A brown leather belt was wrapped around her waist and her quiver was strapped to her back. Her hair was tied back into a loose braid, thrown over her shoulder and wrapped around her head was sparking headband. Fuzzy boots climbed halfway up her calves.

Merida looked up at her mother, her blue eyes brimming with tears. Elinor took quick steps to her daughter and pulled her in close. Merida let out a choked sob and buried her face into her mother's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Mum…" Merida barely got out between cries.

"A know mah love, but et will be okay. Et's not like A'm gonna be gone from yer life forever."

"A know, but A just don't want ta let yah go."

"Oh my sweet babe." Elinor ran her hands over her braid and sighed. She pushed Merida away from her, gripping her shoulders. "A know A'm not gonna be here with you in Berk, but yah know A'm only a message away. But A do wanna give yah some advice. First, if yah do not go after what yah want, yew'll never get et. Second, if yah do not ask, the answer will always be no. And third, if yah do not step forward, yah will always be in the same place. Things will get harder as yah grow, but if yah always remember these three simple rules yah will always find happiness. Mah sweet daughter, yah've grown so much, and A hate ta leave yah, but we both know et's what's best for the time bein. A will be back, and just because A'm not right here with yah, doesn't mean A don't love yah. A'll always be your mum." Merida sniffed as Elinor wiped her tears off her cheeks. "Merida, A'll always be with yah." She placed a hand over her daughter's heart and Merida did the same.

"Forever an' always?"

"Forever an' always." Merida nodded her head and took a deep breath as she steadied herself. Elinor grabbed her things and took her daughters hand.

"Et's time ta say goodbye."

The village of Berk stood at the docks in wait to say goodbye to their loved ones. Most were riding on dragons, bringing the basic supplies to Dunbroch while a select few were sailing there with the heavier supplies. Merida, Hiccup, and the triplets were standing at the edge of the docks with their mothers. Hiccup embraced Valka and they said their soft words to each other and ended their embrace with a few quick kisses to their cheeks. Merida and her brothers surrounded Elinor and hugged each other.

"One sleuth," Elinor whispered.

"Many woods.*" Her children whispered back. Merida took a deep breath and practically pried her brothers from their mother. Elinor gave them a feeble smile and climbed onto Braw. Val gave Hiccup one last smile and looked to her friend.

"Are yah ready Elinor?"

"As ready as A'll ever be." With that the two mothers set off on their dragons, leading the way to Dunbroch.

"Godspeed." Merida whispered as she waved to her mother until she disappeared over the horizon.

Elinor soared through the clouds, anticipation stirring in her stomach. She hadn't been in Scotland since she found her daughter. She was more than ready to take back her home. She looked to her left and saw her best friend, leaning down and whispering into her dragon's ear. She knew it had been a couple of hours, at least, and that everyone was getting weary, but it couldn't be too much longer now. She looked back at the other dragon riders. There was Merida's friends Astrid, a fierce blonde girl who held herself with the poise of a warrior, Eret, who was haughty and reminded her of young Macintosh, and Fishlegs, the large curious young man with a penchant for anything on the pages of a book. From what Merida said they were all nice children, but if she had to choose a favorite it would be Fishlegs because, "He's sensitive." Elinor shook her head and watched the distance, a smile splitting her face as she saw the familiar shore of Dunbroch.

She willed Braw to go faster, and the dragon complied, eager to land. The rest of the dragon riders fell into formation, Astrid leading the group.

"Elinor!" Astrid shouted against the wind. Elinor looked to the young woman who held a hand, index finger up, and circled her hand. They were going to fly around to scout it out before anyone landed, which was a pretty good plan. Astrid led Eret and Fishlegs around the kingdom, surveying the rubble and the woods that surrounded it. They flew back to the group waiting above the trees and nodded for them to land.

Elinor took no time to dive down to the ground, immediately running to where the grand doors once stood. She braced herself on the frame of the door, looking at what was left of her home. It was crumbling, the beautiful stone charred and covered in soot. Weapons lay scattered along the ground, reminders of the battle that took place. Something stood out to Elinor, there were no bodies of those who didn't make it out of the castle. She looked around, and in the evening light a glimmer caught her eye from the top of a nearby hill. Elinor sprinted to the hilltop and what she saw made tears stream down her cheeks.

On the edge of the woods started a gravesite. Graves were made, marked, and sealed with care, by whom she presumed was Toothless. On the top of the hill was a large grave marker, a cross made out of two swords and a familiar helmet placed neatly on top. Elinor's heart stopped as she stepped towards the grave. She fell to her knees and looked at the swords. Engraved into them were the words "Long live King Fergus, father, friend, husband. One sleuth, many woods." Elinor traced the words lightly, her fingertips grazing the smooth blade. A hand was placed on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Elinor looked up into the warm eyes of her childhood friend and smiled. Val hoisted Elinor to her feet and together they walked back to the ruins of the once grand castle. A fire stirred inside Elinor. She was going to take her kingdom back, whether it would be hers peacefully, or by force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first off, there's the name of Elinor's dragon, Braw. I found a website that said Braw meant handsome, but then I searched it and found it means extraordinary/ well dressed. But I'm going to go with handsome.
> 
> The second thing I'd like to discuss is "One sleuth, many woods." If you don't know a sleuth is a family of bears. My head-cannon is that they came up with this after the whole bear incident and whenever anyone when somewhere for a while they'd say it instead of goodbye.


	10. Chapter Ten

It was about a week before Merida got the first message from her mother. She was so excited to see that little Terror flying to Berk. She snatched the letter from the dragon's claws and rewarded its job well done with a fish and ran back to Hiccup's. She bounded into her room and flopped down on her bed. Unraveling the string, Merida opened the letter and began devouring the words that were written on the paper.

'My sweet daughter,

I hope everything there is going well. I found the graves that you and Hiccup made on the hill, it's a beautiful place to commemorate the dead. Thank you. Although we are not even half way done with rebuilding the castle, I can't help but think that this new place will be almost as beautiful as it was before. When it's done I would love to have you and the boys.

I contacted the Lords. Lord Macguffin was killed in the battle with the dragons, and Young Dingwall was wounded. But they agreed that they would come to lend a hand with the construction. They would all like to see you as well.

How are you and Hiccup doing? I know your relationship is just budding, but I see that you're happy. I'm glad that you've found happiness in Berk my dear. Tell Hiccup that Val would like to see him as well. How are the boys? I hope that they're not causing too much trouble. I've sent them their own letter as well. I've got to go.

I love you. One sleuth, many woods.'

Merida grinned from ear to ear as she raced out of her room and to the table. She took out a quill and ink and began to scribble down her return letter.

'Mum,

Everything here is going great. There hasn't been any weird ships coming by, or any attacks. Thank you. It was Hiccups idea to make a grave site for all of the fallen. He even sealed the graves with Toothless. I'm glad that the construction is going so well, how's your dragon training going? I would love to come see you. Only three more weeks until Hiccup, the boys, and I are coming to check on the progress. I know the boys would love to stay with you for a while if that would be fine.

I'm sad to hear that it was Lord Macguffin that passed in the fires, but I'm glad that no one else was seriously injured. I'm also glad that they're willing to help out. It should be interesting to see how they'll act with the dragons. Seeing them again wouldn't be terrible.

Hiccup and I are doing well. The other day we made rounds around Berk on Toothless and Cyhiraeth. It was breath taking. It's amazing how big this island is. I mean, I know how big it is, I did walk the entirety of it. But even so it's so different to see it from the skies. I can't wait to see Dunbroch from the skies once it's rebuilt. I'm sure Hiccup can't wait to see his mum either. The boys are fine. Ruff and Tuff have been keeping the occupied. They're going to be able to start riding dragons with other riders soon.

I love you too mum. One sleuth, many woods.'

Merida secured the message together and strung it to the small terror's leg. The little dragon zipped off into the distance as Merida made her way to the training arena. Cyhiraeth was already there with Hiccup, the twins, and the triplets waiting for her to show.

"Sorry A'm late. A got a letter from mah mum."

"It's okay. Your brothers got a letter too." Merida looked to the three boys. Harris held up the letter and the boys sported matching smirks. Merida shook her head and went to her striking dragon. Cyhiraeth rolled over onto her back and Merida scratched her scale covered stomach.

"Alright. Let's go over the guidelines for riding a dragon real quick. The number one rule is to hold on. The second one is to make sure you're leaning closer to your dragon. You don't want to fall off. The third rule of riding is to know what's around you. Keep not only your main vision sharp, but your peripherals as well. You need to be aware of your surroundings to make sure you don't get thrown off your dragon. Fourth, be aware of your dragon. Before your dragon starts to really act out you need to be aware of their small signs." Hiccup looked at the Triplets. "Alright, let's get started."

They decided that each boy was going to ride Toothless one by one around the arena. Merida, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Hamish and Hubert sat in the seats while Hiccup and Harris stood in the arena. Hiccup helped Harris get settled in and directed Toothless from the center as they flew in laps around the edge of the arena. Merida watched in delight as Harris' face light up in delight. Merida was excited to watch her brothers grow up and find happiness in whatever they would do.

After Harris' round around the arena, Hubert eagerly bounced down the stairs to the sleek dragon waiting for him. Hiccup smiled at the excitement these boys had for learning how to fly. He was excited to see them progress. Hubert finished his rounds on Toothless and now it was Hamish on the saddle. Hiccup looked at the fidgeting boy on the back of the Night Fury and stepped a little closer.

"Is something wrong Hamish?"

"Not really…"

"It looks like you're a little worried." Hiccup softly smiled down at the young boy.

"A, A guess A am. But A don' wanna be. A wanna be brave like mah brothers an' sister."

"Being worried doesn't mean you're not brave. I used to worry all the time and, to be honest, I worry all the time. Worrying means that your brain is thinking of all the possibilities, and that's good. That's the making of a future chief, or king." Hiccup gave Hamish a soft pat on the back coupled with another warm smile and watched as the boy's face went from insecure, to excited.

"Really?" Hamish asked, his eyes glittering.

"Really. So, are you ready to ride Toothless?"

"Yes." And with that, Hamish was on the back of Toothless and in the air.

Elinor watched from the window of the castle as the small dragon flew closer and closer, a letter flapping in its claws. She took it from the dragon perched on the windowsill and gave him a fish as payment. As the dragon eagerly ate the fish, Elinor opened her letter, a smile spreading across her face. She ran through the finished castle and out the doors into the town. She found Valka building a medium house for a small family. She climbed up the ladder and onto the roof she was finishing.

"We'll have company tomorrow."

"Really? Who?" Val stood up, stretching her back.

"The children are coming."

"Et's already been a month?"

"Aye." Elinor grinned. She couldn't wait to see her babies again.

"Well, et's a good thing we're almost done." Elinor nodded her head in agreement as the two looked at the almost complete village. There were rows of houses that stretched for about a mile either way the castle surrounded by a large wall, made completely of Gronckle Iron. There were stations for water and resting stations for the few dragons that were there. There was a small forge and a large dining hall. Many amenities that were on Berk were transferred to DunBroch. Their docks got upgraded to Viking strength, and a large barn stored many animals, some even brought over from Berk to repopulate this area. Next to the looming, Gronckle Iron infused, stone castle was a large arena that would house dragons and horses. They were almost finished, only a few more roofs to finish and DunBroch would be thriving once again.

Valka and Elinor climbed off the roof and made their way back to the castle. They walked through the castle to the throne room. The walls were still bare and it sent a pang of sadness through Elinor to know she would never see most of what was collected again. That sounded terrible, but most of what was in the castle had a memory tied to them. There was Merida's first bow that hung above the entrance, the vase her mother had given to her as a wedding gift, her father's helmet that sat above her throne. She sighed. The one item she missed the most was the tapestry that had saved her. She would never see it again, and that hurt most of all. The memories tied with it were too precious to loose, and as she grew older she knew her memories would fade. That having those trinkets would help her to never forget the life she led. But the lives of her children were more precious to her than any tapestry.

"Elinor? Elinor!" Val broke her reserve and the queen shook her head slightly.

"A'm sorry. A wasn' payin' attention. What did yah say?"

"I asked yah what we're gonna do tomorrow."

"Well, the lords and their sons are coming tomorrow. A'm hopin' that the messages that A had sent out ta the surrounding villages got through an' tha' the villagers will come back home. Merida, Hiccup, an' the boys are comin' tomorrow as well. A say we should have a feast."

"That sounds lovely. I'll let the others know."

"Let us know what?" Astrid asked, coming down the stairs, Eret following close behind. The blonde looked lovely. She wore a light blue dress with a white middle that fell down to her ankles. The long sleeves were tight against her arms until it reached her wrists where they flared out, and her hair flowed behind her in soft waves. Accents of gold outlined the white center of her dress and the same gold accents wrapped around her upper arms as well. She wore a pair of black slip on shoes.

Eret has his hair pulled back into his normal style, but he wore a black and grey kilt with a grey long sleeved shirt that hugged his muscles. A pair of black slip on shoes were on his feet and his sword was strapped to his hip. The pair had been training Elinor with her dragon, and she'd progressed so much in the month they'd been in Scotland. Now, how was she going to introduce the Lords to the dragons?

The sky whipped at Merida's face as she flew with her arms stretched to either side of herself. Gliding through the air with her was Hiccup, the twins, and her brothers, each on a different dragon. Merida was toting Hamish with her, who was making faces at Harris and the twins, who were getting Hubert to make noises at Hamish. It was a mess, but they were bored, Merida couldn't blame them. It'd been about three hours in the air and they were growing restless. She looked back at her brothers and smiled. Their birthday was in a few months. They were growing like weeds too. They were just a head shorter than her now, and they would just continue to get taller. She groaned at the thought of her brothers being taller than her, and all the mischief they would defiantly get into. She looked over at Hiccup and gave him a soft smile. The two of them had been "courting" for a few months now, and have taken to eating alone every night. Hiccup smiled back and Merida made up her mind that she was going to show him her favorite spots during this trip.

She looked at the horizon and grinned.

"Boys! Dae yah see et?" standing in the distance, above the tops of the trees stood a magnificent castle that rivaled the last one. Merida willed Cyhiraeth to fly faster, she was impatient to see what it looked like inside. She looked down at the saddles on the canary colored dragon and smiled. Tucked inside were all of the things that she had took with her, the loom deconstructed in Toothless' saddle. She was excited to place them back where they belonged. Merida was more excited than she thought she would be, but then again she was going home.

They landed quickly, the boys jumping off the dragons and looking around with wide eyes. The twins were pretty amazed at what stood before them as well.

"Did you really live like this?" Ruff asked her as she stood next to Merida.

"Aye. Although this castle es slightly bigger than the one A grew up in." The group walked through the gates of the large wall that surrounded the village and onto the grounds of the resurrected DunBroch castle. A shadow flew above them and they looked up to see the sky blue Deadly Nadder flying in for a landing. Astrid hopped off the back of her dragon and Merida embraced her.

"Astrid! Don' yew look lovely." Said woman flushed slightly and looked down at her dress.

"Thanks. I'm not too sure how I feel in these," she paused to take a look at Ruff, beads of sweat already forming along her hairline, "but they're better than wearing the clothes from Berk. Why don't we go to the castle and change?" Ruff nodded in agreement. They walked to the castle, Astrid giving them a quick tour of the new village. They arrived at the castle quite quickly and Astrid led them upstairs. The boys ran off in search of their mother.

"Yew three be good. Yah don' know this castle yet!" Merida said over her shoulder as she ascended the stairs. The boys gave grunts in reply as they sped around a corner.

"Oh Merida, don't worry, what trouble could they possibl-" a crash interrupted Astrid's question and Merida gave her a pointed stare.

"Wee devils." Merida muttered under her breath. Astrid shook her head as they walked down the hallway. Eret walked around the corner and was greeted with a kiss on the cheek from Astrid.

"Oh! We have guests." Eriet smiled and brought Hiccup and Tuff into quick hugs. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too Eret."

"Hun, the boys need new clothes. I'm taking Merida and Ruffnut to see Addie. Can you take Hiccup and Tuff to see Pilip?"

"Sure. Follow me guys." Eret took them around a corridor and they started catching up.

"Nice skirt, Eret." Tuffnut said, punching his large shoulder.

"It's a kilt, Tuff, and you're going to be wearing one too."

"Awe man!" Tuff said, flinging his head back in disappointment. Hiccup smiled.

"Don't let him get to you Eret, it suits you."

"Thank you Hiccup." They walked up to a set of doors and Eret walked through.

"Pilip! Our company is here! They need some clothes." Eret shouted into the room. Hiccup crossed the threshold and was taken aback. The room was full of cloths and fabrics of every color and kind. There were clothes on dummies, and some just hanging up. A middle aged man with salt and pepper hair came out of the back wearing a solid navy blue kilt. He smiled at the two new men.

"My name is Pilip, I'm the semester for this castle. Now, I'm going to take your measurements and get started on your clothes." Pilip quickly circled the two men, pulling and pushing them into some awkward stances as he scribbled numbers into a notebook. "Please, stay here." He disappeared behind a piece of fabric and left the men to catch up with each other.

On the other side of the castle, Merida and Ruffnut were in a similar situation to Hiccup and Tuffnut. They were in a room filled with fabrics, being fussed over by a woman who was in her mid to late thirties. She was short, but lean, with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. A bandana held her hair out of her eyes and she wore a loose brown dress. She scurried away and left the girls to themselves.

"So, how have things been with yew an' Eret?" Merida asked, crossing one knee over the other.

"We've been doing pretty swell. We went for a walk yesterday, and believe that we found some of your targets." Astrid gave Merida a coy smile, but the redhead ignored her.

"Did yah happen ta see any wisps?"

"Any what?" Ruffnut asked, seeing an opening in the conversation.

"Wisps. Their spirits that have been long lost in the woods. They lead yah ta yer fate."

"That's just superstition Mer. You can't tell me you believe in them."

"But A dae! A've seen em with mah own eyes. And so has Hiccup."

"I don't know, sounds like an old tale to me." Ruffnut said, rolling her eyes. Merida sighed. She would drop it, for now.

Over an hour passed before Addie came out, holding two dresses in her hands. She handed them to Merida and Ruffnut and the girls changed. Ruff was the first to come out of the room. Her dress fell to her ankles, a simple dark blue cotton dress with the shoulders cut out and the sleeves ended at her elbows and she wore a pair of brown shoes. Her bangs fell over her left eye and some of her hair was pulled back into a braid that laid over her hair that flowed to the middle of her back. A small braid was tucked behind her right ear and a pair of green studs were shimmering on her ears.

"I feel so girly. Are you sure I have to wear this?"

"Well, Elinor invited the Lords of other regions so it'd be best if you did wear the dress. It makes us look good. You get used to them, it's a lot warmer here than it is on Berk."

"A'm never gonna get used ta bein' a princess." Merida sighed from the doorway. She wore a lavender, strapless, silk dress with iridescent gold silk accents that started at the top of her bust and ran under it. A gold line traveled down the center of the dress and two more lines of gold disappeared over her hips and twisted around her back. The bottom of her dress was lined with gold with a small floral pattern protruded from it. A translucent piece of fabric was wrapped around her shoulders and wrapped around her arms. Her hair was tied into a braid. A piece of brown leather wrapped around the middle of the braid, and flyaway hairs stuck up in gravity defying angles. A pair of white shoes with a small heel were on her feet, a golden band was wrapped around her head, and a scowl was on her face.

"You look gorgeous!" Astrid smiled, placing a hand on Merida's shoulder.

"You definitely don't look like the girl we found in the boat." Ruff muttered under her breath.

Merida and Astrid laughed.

"A really think yah look good Ruff." Merida said with a smile on her face. Ruff tugged at her hair, her nervous habit.

"You really think so?"

"A really think so." The girls thanked Addie and made their way to the throne room. When they got there Ruff fell to the floor, tears in her eyes, the other two couldn't help but giggle. Hiccup stood there in a black and red kilt that draped around his body from his left hip. His sword was strapped to his side and a black bear pelt was strapped around his shoulders by a golden chain. Eret stood there looking at the girls with confusion, but standing between the two beefy men was the slender bodied Tuffnut. He wore a solid green kilt that wrapped around his waist and was held up by a few leather straps. His hair was tied back into a low ponytail, and a small dagger was tucked to his hip. He looked very, scrawny next to Hiccup and Eret.

"And I thought Hiccup was a toothpick!" Ruffnut laughed as she gathered herself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tuff asked, puffing his chest out.

"Don't try, you'll only make it worse."

"At least I'm not wearing a dress."

"Yeah, you're wearing a skirt." Tuff glared at his sister for a few seconds before he tackled her to the ground.

"Hey, we don't have time for this. The lords will be here soon." Hiccup said to the twins on the ground. They stood up, Ruff punching her brother one more time in the arm before she stalked after the rest of the group. Tuff quickly caught up with them as they made their way through the backdoors of the castle and to the docks by the shore.

"Astrid, where's Fishlegs? A haven't seen him."

"Now that you mention it, I didn't see him either."

"He's been gone all morning. He thinks he's found the entrance to a dragon den in the woods so he and Meatlug went to check it out. He should be at the docks though."

The group of people made their way to the shore and saw the bulky form of Fishlegs waiting for them. As they got closer they noticed that he wore a brown t-shirt under his dark grey kilt that wrapped around his waist and around his shoulder. His facial hair had gotten longer, and his hair was now pulled back into a small ponytail. His face light up when he saw them.

"Hiccup! I found a dragon den! We'll have to go find out what's down there."

"I know Fishlegs, but tonight wouldn't be a very good idea tonight. We won't be alone."

"I guess you're right. But tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow."

The group of young adults were soon joined by Valka and Elinor, who were both dressed as queens. Elinor's hair was pulled back into two long braids without a hair out of place. Her lips were painted red, and she wore a long sleeved emerald dress made of silk that pooled on the ground around her feet. The sleeves were wide around her arms and her hands disappeared when she let them hang, and golden band wrapped around the bottom hem of the dress. Valka wore a tight sleeved ruby dress that fell to the ground in soft pools of velvet. Her hair was tied into a thick braid that hung over her shoulder, her lips were painted a soft pink, and her feet were bare.

They climbed the steps of the docks and watched the sea as the first dots lined up on the horizon, soon followed by more. Before they could really prepare themselves for what may come the ships were docked and the passengers were disembarking their ships. The group of dragon riders stood on the dock, waiting to greet the Lords. Lord Archibald Mackintosh and his son Alastair walked to the group, Lord Finlay Dingwall and his son Eachann limped to meet them, and Grant Macguffin, who was much too young to be running a country by himself, joined them as well. Elinor offered them her arm in greeting.

"Et's so nice ta see yew all again," she said after taking each of their forearms, "yah all remember mah daughter, Merida." She gestured to the redhead standing beside her.

"Et's nice ta see yah all."

"It's nice to see you too Merida." Alastair said, slicking his hair back with a smirk on his face. He hadn't changed much, maybe he had been working out more. Other than that he was still the greasy, arrogant man she had grew to tolerate.

Hiccup looked at him pointedly and took a step closer to Merida, his mother looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Elinor cleared her throat, not missing the look that Hiccup was giving the young man.

"Archibald, Finlay, yah remember Valka, Stoick's wife."

"Stoick! Where is the ol' gowk?" Dingwall roared, causing the dragon riders to look at their feet. Val coughed and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Stoick, passed. He died in battle." The Lords coughed and sobered.

"I'm sorry ta hear that." Archibald choked out, obviously embarrassed.

"Now, et's no time fer somber moods. Now, ta introduce yah ta the rest of this motley crew." Elinor chuckled and Merida shook her head before she spoke.

"The man next ta me is Hiccup Haddock the third, son of Stoick the Vast and Valka the Wild." Val struggled not to laugh at her new title. "The lass next ta him es Astrid Hofferson, Daughter of Borghild an' Asger Hofferson. The man next ta her es Eret, son of Eret. The next two are Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, daughter an' son of Inkeri and Hagen Thorston, an' the man on the end es Fishlegs Ingermen, son of Kari an' Fiske Ingermen." The Lords bowed their heads respectively.

"Now that we're acquainted, let's get inta the castle an' get the feast started!" Valka said as she quickly walked towards the castle.

"But, first a quick tour of the new castle." Elinor said, pointedly looking at her best friend. Val let out an exasperated sigh, she was hungry and the sun was hanging high in the sky, signaling lunch, but Valka kept walking with the group, pointing out new additions to the town. Finlay looked at the large open building with suspicion. It had a tall roof that was held up with thick logs. A round base was made out of heavy stones that opened up one way. At the opening there were stone rollers with sharp rocks dotting the surface with a branch going through the middle. Another contraption was set up beside it that was shaped like the beginning stages of a tent, four logs that crossed at the top on either end of a long log that ran across the top and two metal pieces were fixed at the bottom running from front to back with a ladder that rolled on a track on both metal pieces. A few ropes were hanging in loops from the top log with large brushes and picks hanging on them, and a few barrels were set on either side.

As they walked more unusual stations were set up in town. A large hole in the ground full of warm ashes was split down the middle by a metal track with a cart and a fire place, another hole in the ground full of warm ashes with two drawbridge-like wooden planks sticking into it with a log held in place by two stones with claw marks in it, a large water basin that stood thirty feet in the air with smaller basins that the water flowed into all around it, and on each building there were metal objects sealed at the bottom with ropes hanging from them. Something was going on, and it wasn't normal.

"Elinor, what is all this?" Finlay asked, eyeing one of the grooming stations for the dragons.

"That, es a surprise for later Finlay." Valka said, keeping a brisk pace to get them to the castle sooner. Once the lords were inside the castle, the dragons would be safe. Val's head whipped around, something was moving too quickly through the woods around the village. A glint of blue and gold caught her eye and she turned to Astrid.

"Astrid, dear, A think yah may want ta check up on yer pet." Astrid's brow furrowed until she saw Val's eyes flick toward the woods. She carefully looked where she gestured and saw the excited eyes of Stormfly watching her. Her body tensed and she pursed her lips.

"You're right, it's been a while since she's eaten. I'll get right on that." Astrid picked up her dress and darted for the castle, making her way around the back of the houses in the village and into the woods. Stormfly greeted her with a deep, playful bow and Astrid smiled.

"You hungry girl?" Stormfly gargled and bobbed her head. She led the dragon into the woods and to the nearby lake to gather fish. Once she got her fill Astrid carefully led her back to the stables where the dragons were being kept.

"Now, stay here. I'll be back, okay?" Stormfly huffed and warmed herself a spot on the ground and curled in on herself. Astrid smiled and shook her head as she made her way into the castle.

Astrid made her way through the castle and into the throne room where there were people setting up a long table. Astrid decided that she should help them set up the feast rather than roaming around the castle in search for the others. They'd eventually make their way here. So Astrid helped set the table, placing plates of food in the center and empty plates and cups around the perimeter of the table. About twenty minutes of waiting, Astrid was joined by the rest of the group and the feast was beginning.

The sun was finally dipping behind the horizon when everyone had warmed up to each other, thanks to the alcohol they were all drinking. A small group of people started to play music and Valka smiled at Elinor and started to whistle a familiar, happy tune that the band quickly took up. Merida's head popped up and a wild grin split her face. Hiccup stood up and bowed to Merida. She took his hand and the two of them started to dance together.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning and gladly ride theses waves of life if you will marry me!" Hiccup sang as more people joined them, Astrid and Eret, Valka and Elinor, Ruff and Tuff.

"No scorching sun, or freezing cold will stop me on my journey if you will promise me your heart.

"And love me for eternity." Merida smiled at Hiccup as the two took hands, Hiccup behind Merida and started skipping and dipping towards the ground. "My darling dear, my dearest one, your mighty words astound me! But I've no need for mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me!" Hiccup spun her around.

"But I would buy you rings of gold, and even sing you poerty!"

"Oh you would?" Tuff and Ruff were separated by a very red faced Grant MacGuffin who began to spin a light headed Ruff on her toes.

"And I would keep you from all harm if you would stay beside me!" Hiccup fell to one knee, a hand on his heart, and Merida's hand in his other one.

"I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry, I only want your hand to hold."

"I only want you near me!" Hiccup stood up and spun Merida into his arms. He spun her out and continued their dance while the whole room was singing.

"To love and kiss and sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming! For all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your love inside me!" The whole room was shouting now.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning, and gladly ride these waves of life if you will marry me!"

Hiccup fell back on his one knee and Merida sat on the one that was bent. They both were breathing heavily and smiling like they were the only ones in the room. Elinor and Valka were laughing and clapped the two of them on the back, pulling them back into reality. The rest of the night was a blur, more alcohol was consumed and less and less of the night was really remembered. Merida, who had stopped drinking when she felt her ears burning, made her way out of the crowded room to get some air. She smiled as she passed the empty table where Ruff was laying on her stomach, tracing circles on Grant's bicep.

"Do it again." Grant grabbed another log from a pile next to him and ripped it in half. "YES!" She flipped on her back and started laughing as Grant was saying something Merida couldn't hear. She walked down the hall and headed outside.

But as fate would have it, this perfect night couldn't last. She heard a screeching from down a corridor and took off to find out what it was.


	11. Chapter 11

Merida turned corner after corner, following the screeching. She turned another corner and Astrid joined her.  
“What is that?”  
“A don’ know, but A’m gonna find out!” Merida yelled as she and Astrid found their way into the courtyard in front of the castle. Everyone else was already outside when they burst through the doors.  
“What es this?” Merida yelled to her mother. The screeching was much louder outside the castle and it made everyone’s ears ring painfully. Hiccup made his way to the princess and put his mouth to her ear so she could hear him better, and it didn’t go unnoticed by a long haired Lord in waiting.  
“Fishlegs says it’s the dragons he found. He said that they did this as a warning when he got too close to their nest, but it was nothing like this. We’re going to go look into it.”  
“A’m goin’ with yah.” Merida demanded.  
“No, you’ve got to stay here.”  
“Ef the two of you think A’m stayin’ here yer not as smart as A thought yah were.”  
“We’ll be fine.”  
“Nae yah won’t. A know these woods better than anyone, and now that et’s dark you’ll need mah help.” Merida put her hands on her hips and Hiccup knew he’d lost this argument.   
“Fine.” He sighed and Merida smirked at him. She turned to her mother and whispered in her ear.  
“A need yah ta keep the lords busy. Hiccup, Fishlegs, and A are goin’ ta check out the screeching. Et might be a dragon.” Elinor nodded her head as she pursed her lips.  
“Please be careful!” Elinor res[ponded, her eyes blazing in the torchlight.  
“A always am, mum!” Elinor’s jaw clenched. “Okay, okay! A will be. A love yah mum.”  
“A love yah too.” Merida gave her mother a quick hug before the three adults made their way to the stables, not noticing that they were being followed.  
They reached the stables quickly, opening the to get their dragons.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” Merida groaned, throwing her head back and making claws with her hands.  
“Alistair, now es not the time!”  
“You can’t seriously be going somewhere with them.” He spat.  
“Yes, A am. And yer goin’ back ta yer da’.” Merida looked around nerviously, Hiccup and Fishlegs were already inside letting the dragons loose. She heard the thumping of dragon tails on the walls of the stables.   
“Like hell I am! What’s going on in there?” The doors burst open and Cyhiraeth came rishing out the door.   
“Damn.” She sighed as she turned to Alistair. “Please don’t freak out.” She barely got out before Alistair yelled falling to his bum and scrambling backwards. Cyhiraeth just twisted her head and let out a squawk of confusion.   
“Why do you have a-a-a dragon in your stables? What is going on?”  
“This es mah dragon, Cyhiraeth. Merida hopped onto the saddle. “A can’t let yah go ta yer da’ an’ tell him all about our secret, are yah coming or not?”   
“Well of course I’m going.” Alistair stood up and dusted himself off. “Someone has to protect you.” Merida rolled her eyes and turned to Hiccup, who was shaking his head vigorously. They both turned to Fishlegs, who was too busy crooning over Meatlug to even notice the two smirks.  
Alistair gripped the saddle as he shook uncontrollably on the back of Meatlug. It didn’t take too long to find a clearing in the woods big enough for the three dragons. Fishlegs pulled out a map and Hiccup pulled out his sword.  
“How are we supposed to see the map, it’s the middle of the night.” Alistair jabbed. Hiccup held the sword up like it was obvious.   
“How is a sword sup-“ Hiccup ignited the blade. “-oh.” He crossed his arms. Merida took in her surroundings. She saw a small target littered with arrows and walked to it. She yanked it from its spot on the tree and looked at the back.   
“56. Guys, A know where we are.” She walked to Fishlegs and traced her finger across the map. “We’re riiiiigh…. Here.” She tapped the clearing on the map and Fishlegs bent closer to the map.  
“That’s good, because the dragons den will be over the next hill.” The three of them nodded and Fishlegs rolled up the map and tucked it away.   
“Wait, you mean we’re going after dragons? Fire breathing death creatures?”  
“Don’t forget screeching, because this noise is the dragons.”  
“You guys are going to be killed!”   
“Ehh,” Merida shrugged her shoulders, “occupational hazard.” She remarked before she walked off, Hiccup and Fishlegs on either side of her. It didn’t take but a minute for Alistair to scurry up the hill behind them.  
“Guys, don’t forget me!”  
Meanwhile, the screeching at the castle was growing louder and louder every passing minute. Archibald scoured the group for his son.  
“Queen Elinor, A can’t find Alistair anywhere!” Elinor and Valka shared matching looks of worry. They didn’t. They couldn’t have possibly thought it’d be a good idea. But here they were with a missing child.  
“Archibald, there’s something we have ta tell yah.” She chewed her lip and sighed. This was going to be one hell of a night.  
Merida was jerked back by her arm. She turned and looked at Fishlegs, the screeching was at the loudest it’d been.   
“Oi! What was that fer?”  
“We’re here.” Fishlegs pointed to the grove of trees. Merida crouched behind a bush and waiting for any sign of dragons. A flicker of movement caught her eyes and she shot backward, barreling into Fishlegs and Hiccup, seconds before the bush burst into flames. They tumbled down a hill, taking Alistair with them.  
“What just happened?”  
“These dragons are fast.”  
“Really fast, at least level six or seven.”  
“We know they shoot fire, we need to know how many shots they have.”  
“Or how long it can stream fire.”  
“It’s a good thing we have dragons.”  
“But bringing another dragon on their terf might end up in a fight, and we don’t have time for that.”  
“Fishlegs, did you get a look at one?”  
“No, sorry Hic.”  
“It’s okay, we just need to figure out a way to get them to stop screaming.”  
“But we don’t know where they’re at.” Alistair sighed and crept away from the bickering trio. Quietly he snuck into the grove. Small animals flew around the grove, squawking and chirping as the circled the area, a barrage of wings and tails. There was a small cave where the screeching echoed from. He zipped into the cave, covering his ears. There was a faint glow at the end of the tunnel he was in. When he got to the end, what he saw ripped at his heart.  
A dragon, about the size of a hound, lay behind a pile of crished eggs, the remains of the tiny dragons on the floor. The dragon was screaming, a few eggs curled in its tail. The dragon turned to him, and he took a few steps forward and paused. The dragon eyed the sword on his hip and he quickly took it off and threw it to the opposite side of the cave. He fell to his knees and inched toward the scared dragon. He stopped a foot away and reached out. The dragon eyed him suspiciously and Alistair closed his eyes. The dragon stopped screaming. Alistair thought he was going to die, imagining the dragon sucking in air, preparing to roast him alive.   
HE got a pleasant surprise when he felt a cool, scaly surface in the palm of his hand. His eyes shot open in surprise at the contact.   
“You’re not scary, you’re scared.” He spotted a piece of leather-like material hanging from its mouth. As he picked it out of its teeth, he noticed the large footprints around the smashed eggs.  
“You put up one hell of a fight, didn’t you?” Alistair asked the dragon, getting a chirp in response.   
“Alistair! Alistair, are you in here?” Hiccup’s voice bounced off the walls and the dragon growled.   
“It’s okay, no one’s going to hurt you.” He soothed the trembling reptile. “Yeah, I’m down here. You guys really need to see this!”  
Hiccup was the first one into the cave, but he stopped at the mouth of the enterance.   
“Hiccup, yah can’t just-“ Merida’s hands flew to her mouth and tears stung her eyes, but that reaction only lasted a few seconds before fury took over and her face turned red. She lunged at him, but Hiccup held her arms behind her, struggling to keep her in place.   
“WHAT DID YAH DAE?” She screamed.  
“I didn’t do anything! This is how I found it!”  
“A DAENAE BELIEVE YAH!”   
“Alistair,” Hiccup’s voice was calm and collected, a nice comparison to Merida’s, “is this really how you found them?”  
“Yes! You’ve got to believe me!”  
“I do.” Hiccup affirmed.   
“Yah what?” Merida whipped around to him.  
“I know this is terrible, but if he says he didn’t do it, then I believe him,” Hiccup placed his hands on her shoulders, “and so should you.” Alistair could see her shoulders relax, and he felt the atmosphere in the room change. In that moment he realized an unspoken truth; the princess they came her to impress was already impressed with a dragon riding Viking.  
Hiccup walked over to the dragon that shook behind Alistair and took out his sketch book and charcoal. This dragon didn’t have any legs, and resembled a viper. It had a heart shaped head with emerald eyes on either side that complemented its body, that looked black but shimmered deep purple in the glowing lights. Two pairs of wings that resembled the surrounding flora, were thin and feather like. Hiccup noticed how it clutched the eggs protectively.  
“I think this is a queen. These have to be her eggs.” Hiccup said, putting his sketchbook back where it belonged.   
“Would tha’ explain why et looks so different than the other ones?”  
“Yeah, the ones outside are probably all male.”   
“Well, we know a little more about the dragons, I got a really good drawing of them.” Fishlegs said, finally entering the cave. “Woah, what happened in here?”  
“We’re not too sure, but it looks like someone was here.” Alistair remembered the cloth he’d found.  
“Hiccup, I found this in her teeth.” He handed it to Hiccup. He took the cloth and horror etched itself on his features.   
“We need to get back to the castle, now !”   
“What es et Hiccup?” Hiccup ignored Merida’s question and gripped her hand pulling her out of the cave and to their dragons.   
“This is a piece of Drago’s cloak.” The color drained from Fishlegs’ face.  
“But I thought he drowned!” They mounted the dragons.  
“I did too, but I guess he’s more resourceful than we thought.”  
They raced back to the castle, landing in the courtyard. Finlay drew his sword.  
“Wha’ are those?”  
“They’re dragons, obviously.” Echann scoffed, pushing past his father and pushing his sword down to take a look at Toothless.  
“Echann, get away from tha’, thing.” Toothless turned to Lord Finlay, teeth bared.  
“Alistair, get off that beast!” He turned to Elinor and Valka, “I thought yah said they were takin’ care of the stable animals!”  
“Well, they did.” Val said, gesturing to the dragons.  
“Yah can’t seriously let these, abominations, enta’ the kingdom!”  
“They killed yer husband!”  
“They killed villagers!”  
“They killed-“  
“ENOUGH!” erupted Merida, marching toward the arrogant men. “This es not yer kingdom! These dragons,” she gestured to the three reptiles, “aren’t responsible fer anythin’ tha’ happened before. An’ the ones who did destroy the kingdom will be forgiven. Yah forget that King Fergus wasn’t just yer king, he was a husband, a father, and,” Merida’s voice cracked, “my best friend. Ef A can accept, an’ love, these dragons, you can too, or yah can get out.” Alistair walked to his father.  
“There’s something bigger going on, and these dragons are our only hope at surviving it.” Finlay slowly put his sword away, both older lords hanging their heads low.   
“Mom, Alistair found this in a dragon’s teeth.” He shoved the cloth in her hands. Her head shot up and she gripped his arm.   
“But Drago-“  
“Has been here, and probably still is.”  
“Everyone get inside.” Valka pleaded.  
“But-“  
“Get. Inside.” Elinor commanded, raising her head high and straightening her back. They closed the gates, the Gronkle Iron door sliding and locking in place.   
“Your majesty, what’s going on?” Hiccup’s voice was low, and filled the room.  
“It started a long time ago, before I was even thought of. There was a meeting of chieftains to decide what they were going to do about the dragon problem. A large man from a strange land, covered in scars and a dragon hide cloak stood in the middle of the room. He carried no weapons, and spoke softly, saying he was a man of the people, and that he was the only one that could control the dragons. The only stipulation was that they had to bow to him.” The lords and their sons laughed, except for Grant.  
“They laughed too. He wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out ‘See how well you do without me!’ The roof ignited in flames, and dragons poured from the sky. My father was the only chieftain to make it out, undenounced to Drago.  
“The years passed, twenty of them, and Astrid and I went flying, expanding our maps and discovering new lands, when we came across a large stretch of scorched land that gave way to giant icebergs and large spikes of ice. One iceberg in particular was clinging to a cliff. A ship was caught in the mess, and as we flew closer it launched nets towards us. They were dragon trappers. That’s where we met Eret, the best dragon trapper for Drago Bloodfist, the man with a dragon army. We flew back to Berk and told my father, and he immediately put Berk on lockdown. He said Drago wasn’t a man that would listen to reason, that he wanted war.  
“I didn’t believe him and took off to reason with Drago. I didn’t make it to Drago, because a dragon rider appeared on a dragon I’d only seen a few times in my life. A dragon snatched me off Toothless and took me to a cave full of dragons. I pleaded with them, Toothless can’t do anything without me, and I thought he’d drown. She reunited me with Toothless, after I’d calmed the other dragons down first. When the mystery person saw me closely they took off their helmet. And that’s how I met my mother.  
“What I didn’t know was that Drago was busy collecting dragons and dragon riders. My friends had been captured with their dragons and they watched as Drago called something from the depths of the coldest part of the ocean. While Drago was doing that, my mother was showing me a dragon haven, which was inside an iceberg made by a dragon of snow and ice, called a Bewilderbeast. It was massive, the biggest thing I’d ever seen.   
“My father found us, and reunited with my mother after twenty years of being missing. But our reunion was short lived once Drago attacked the haven, trying to lure out the Bewilderbeast. He succeeded, but so did my friends, who had escaped Drago, saved their dragons, and joined us in a fight.  
But Drago had an ace up his sleeve, his own Bewilderbeast. He used it to fight with the guardian of the haven. Drago ended up winning the fight, and no one disobeys the Alpha. Drago’s Bewilderbeast took control of our dragons, and used Toothless for his own selfish agenda. Toothless ended up killing my father while under Drago’s control. He took the dragons and headed for Berk to destroy all those who stood in his way of becoming the only one to control dragons.  
“We flew on the backs of baby dragons to Berk, and together we fought Drago. I helped Toothless fight Drago, and together we thought we had defeated Drago until his Bewilderbeast encased us in ice. Toothless broke free, firing plasma blasts at the giant dragon, until it’s tusks fell off. Toothless freed the dragons from the control of the Bewilderbeast, and together as a village we defeated Drago and the Bewilderbeast. Drago was dragged under the water, the only thing remaining was his prosthetic arm floating on the water’s surface.   
“We thought that was the last of Drago, but I guess we were wrong.”  
Outside the castle Drago stalked around the large walls, trying to find a way inside. He knew that he couldn’t climb the walls with only one arm. He had lost his touch with dragons, the blood dripping from his shoulder was proof of that. He didn’t need dragons to get his revenge on those brats, these mind games were a good start. He scraped a blade against the wall, etching words into the stone. His face twisted into an evil grin as he walked away.  
‘I’m back. Be ready for a real war.’


	12. Chapter 12

id:11463795  
Hiccup and Valka stayed up all night long, expecting Drago to burst through the castle at any moment. They waited, and waited, but the only thing that came was dawn. Hiccup yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm going to bed mom, you should too." Valka didn't say anything, but she nodded her head and continued to sit there. Hiccup sighed and walked to his room. He collapsed on the bed and was out within minutes.

Merida briefly saw Hiccup before he disappeared behind his door, she knew he would stay up all night. She rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. She had told him to go to bed all night until she herself was dragged to bed by an irate Elinor around midnight. Merida descended the staircase and was on her way to the kitchens when she spotted Valka on the floor, staring at the doors. Merida took tentative steps to the woman and sat down next to her.

"He's not getting en here, yah know."

"There was a time when A thought tha' too, but he took two loved lives tha' day." Valka turned to Merida, and the princess was taken aback by the amount of hatred that simmered in her eyes.

"Val, there's nothing tha' you can do tha' will get them back."

"A know there isn't, but A'll be damned if A'm gonna let him take more innocent lives." The skin around her knuckles turned white as it stretched thin.

"Val, yah need ta sleep."

"A will not sleep until Drago Bludvist is dead." She said, her voice void of emotion.

"Val…"

"No. This man killed mah husband, the love of mah life, can you imagine tha'?" Merida's eyes darted quickly to the stairs.

"Nae, A couldn't."

"And now he's after mah family."

"But if yah daenae sleep, yah won't be able ta stop this demon." Val chewed her lip and cast her gaze to the stairs.

"Daenae be scared of tha'. A'll protect Hiccup with mah life." Valka's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Merida." She breathed. She took in the young woman before her. Her hair was tied in a high, unruly ponytail and a golden band wrapped around her head. She wore a deep purple dress that pooled around her body and she had her father's sword attached to her hip. Her blue eyes shimmered with a wisdom that only came with old souls and her face was warm and inviting, un-twisting most of the knots in Val's stomach. She sighed, pushing on her knees as she rose.

"Thank you." Merida smiled and stood as well. She didn't reply, but enveloped Val into a tight embrace. Valka squeezed the Scott, grateful for the support. When they released each other, Valka yawned and headed up the stairs and Merida made her way to breakfast.

When she got there she found herself alone. She grabbed an apple and started walking the halls, listening closely for voices. She found some and followed them to a large set of doors. She pushed them open as she took a big bite of apple and found herself in a large room full of different maps of DunBroch. There was a large, crystal chandelier in the shape of two bears that was glowing, full of candles. A few torches dotted the walls, adding some extra light. In the middle of the room was a large, circular table with six occupants. Elinor, Astrid, Eret, Fishlegs, Alistair, and Grant. Merida strode into the room and flopped down next to her mother.

"We need a strategy. A daenae know much about this Drago, but from what A heard he's a monster."

"That's an understatement. But there is no strategy when it comes to Drago, Elinor." Eret said, looking at his hands. "He knows about all the dragons we have. He knows how to control them." Merida's brows furrowed.

"Nae he doesn't." All heads snapped to Merida.

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked, leaning forward.

"Well, Alistair found that hide en the dragon's teeth. Ef he was controlling them, they wouldn't be attacking him. An' he has nae idea about Cyhiraeth." Everyone from Berk had their mouths open, they didn't think about that.

"That's… actually a really good point." Eret said.

"Well, Drago did have his staff before. Now it's in pieces. Maybe that's why he can't control the dragons like he used to." Fishlegs added. Elinor's lips formed a thin line and her eyes narrowed.

"Queen Elinor?"

"Shhh!" Merida scolded. "She's thinkin'." Elinor's seat scraped on the marble floor as she began pacing.

"Ef Drago doesn't know about Cyhiraeth, then we have an advantage. We can surprise him, outsmart him. Et'll be dangerous,"

"Ehh, ridin' dragons, takin' down bad guys, danger es a part of the Viking thing." Merida shrugged her shoulders, looking at Astrid and Eret for support. They both laughed and nodded their approval. Elinor smiled softly, placing a hand on Merida's shoulder.

"What are we gonna' do, Queen Elinor?" Alistair questioned.

"The fist step, yah must learn how ta ride dragons."

To say it was a long morning would be an understatement. It took more time trying to get the lords and their sons to get on the dragons than it did for them to fall off of them. It was, ugly. Alistair seemed to get the hang of bonding with Cloudjumper, but riding her was a whole different story. He couldn't keep his legs tight enough around the saddle to keep from slipping off. Archibald and Finlay were riding Barf and Belch, and they fought more than the twins did, which confused the dragons, which led to them running into everything they passed. Echann was trying to ride Stormfly because, after trying to ride Meatlug, Astrid realized that a smarter rider wasn't an option so a smarter dragon might work. So far it was proving to be true, he hadn't fallen off Stormfly for five minutes. A loud 'thump'

made Astrid cringe, she shouldn't have thought that. It seemed that the only one who really got the hang of it was Grant, who was swooping around on Skullcrusher. It was like he was born to ride dragons.

"He got along pretty quick." Merida observed. Astrid nodded her head in agreement.

"No! Alistair, you've got to get a grip on the saddle with your knees! Finlay, Archibald! Stop bickering, you're confusing your dragon! Echann!" He paused, brows together. "Stay on the dragon. Great job Grant!" He turned around and was on his way to join them when he heard a dragon squawk. He turned on his heal, only to see Alistair fall off Cloudjumper again. Eret smacked his forehead and Astrid hid a smile behind her hand, sniggering at his misfortune. Merida sighed, rolling her eyes before she marched to the arrogant young man.

"Ach, Alistair! Yer doin' et all wrong! Cloudjumper!" She called and the dragon landed beside her. "Get on the dragon." Alistair complied and pulled himself onto the saddle. Merida followed behind him and they took off into the sky. It only took a few flaps of Cloudjumper's wings before Alistair was slipping. Merida hooked herself to the saddle by a small carabiner and leaned forward, tapping his knees.

"When yah start ta feel yerself slippin' tighten yer knees. Keep yer feet back," she pulled his feet with her own, "et'll bring yer knees together. Now, land this dragon an' let me down." Alistair did as he was told and Merida shooed him off. He soared through the skies, gripping the reins, with his knees tight. Merida smiled and gave him a thumbs up before Cloudjumper looped.

Next, Merida helped Echann, which was just telling him to hold the reins and watch Stormfly's back. Merida sent arrows their way, having Astrid and Eret help throw things too. Echann wasn't too bad at directing the dragon, and soon he too was soaring with ease above the ground. The hardest task Merida had was to help Finlay and Archibald. They didn't get along, and that wasn't going to work.

"But-

"A daenae care. Yah are no' gonna fly until yah can get along." Finlay's left side was tied together with Archibald's right side.

"What es this suppose ta do?" Finlay grumbled.

"Et's gonna show yah how ta work together."

"How is that gonna work?" Archibald questioned the princess, a doubting look on his face.

"A'm glad yah asked. Here," she gestured to her brothers and the twins, all tied up in a similar fashion, "we have some examples. One example es ta show yah how workin' together can be easy an' enjoyable, the other es ta show yah what et's gonna be like fer everyone else ef yah can't stop bickering."

"Right," Astrid continued for her, "this course is designed to make you struggle while working against each other. You need to work together to get through it. On my mark," Astrid raised her hands above her head, "get set, go." Astrid dropped her hands to her sides. One group took off, the other fell on their faces.

"What are you doing?" Ruffnut cried.

"What am I doing? What are you doing? Left leg first!" Tuffnut retorted.

"No, you idiot! You have to start with your right leg! Your left one is tied to my right one!"

"Why didn't you say that before?" His complaint was greeted with a fist to his helmet. They clamored to their feet and began to wobble to the course.

While the twins were arguing, the triplets had already made it through the step ladder, and were halfway across the totter bridge, crab stepping between each other on the narrow log. Another clamor caught their attention as they paused to see Ruff and Tuff tangled in the ropes to the step ladder, grappling as best they could while tied together. They shook their heads and stepped off the log and onto the final part of the course. They had to crawl under boards and climb up a wall and individually ring a bell at the top. Hubert, sandwiched between Hamish and Harris, barked out orders.

"Inside, outside, inside, outside." They army crawled through the dirt and came out on the other side. There was no way that they could climb the wall while tied up. Hamish and Hubert untied the ropes, and two of them climbed on top of each other. Harris, being the strongest of the three, got a running start before leaping on his brothers backs and jumping up the wall. His fingers circled around the top and he hoisted himself up and rang the bell. Hamish was next, being the taller of the three, and stood, tippie toes, on his brothers back as he reached for his brother. Harris pulled him up and he rang the bell when he was secure. Hubert, although lacking in upper body strength, could jump very high, which resulted in him being pulled easily by his other two brothers, to ring the bell. They got applause and each one slid off the wall. Eret untied the twins, shaking out the net. The two adults bounced on their bottoms and continued their fight.

"Do you see what we mean when we say you have to work together?" The two men nodded their heads. "Good, because you two are next. We're not eating lunch until you can finish the course in one go."

By the time Finlay and Archibald were able to finish the course successfully in every area, it was well past noon. Merida plopped down at the table, filling the spaces between those who were training earlier. The doors opened and a tall, sleepy silhouette was in the door frame.

"Hiccup!" Merida smiled and waved her hand in the air. Hiccup chuckled and shook his head as he sat next to her.

"Good morning." He said, scratching the sleep from his eyes.

"Good afternoon." Fishlegs corrected, taking a bite of fowl. Hiccup chuckled again, this time nervously, his neck and ears tinted red.

"Ach, Hiccup, yer fine. Et's good ta sleep in every once in a while." Hiccup gave Merida a grateful smile and began eating.

"So," he swallowed his mouthful of food, "what did you guys do this morning?"

"We learned how to fly dragons!" Echann excitedly yelped from the other end of the table. Hiccup quirked and eyebrow and turned to Astrid.

"And how did that go?"

"At first it was bumpy, the only one who could really fly was Grant. Eret had his hands full," she took a sip from her goblet, "but then Merida stepped in and really took control of things." Hiccup's brows raised and he turned to the princess, who just shrugged and continued to eat.

"You've got some competition, Hic." Eret laughed and clapped him on the back, making him choke on his mouthful of food. He sputtered but quickly regained his composure.

"Really Mer?"

"A just helped 'em out. They needed et."

"Well, you'll have help for the rest of the day." Merida smiled, taking Hiccup's hand and gave it a squeeze.

The rest of the week continued like that. Hiccup and Merida led Dragon Training while Astrid and Eret conducted hand to hand combat. Fishlegs taught them all they needed to know about many dragons, and Ruff, Tuff, and the triplets showed people how to work together, cause organized distractions, and how to camouflage themselves. It was a very productive week, even Val and Elinor joined in, everyone learning new skill sets for the impending war Drago was waging. It was an early Tuesday morning and everyone was sitting around the breakfast table. Astrid was leaning on Eret, still tired, the twins were banging on each other's helmets in an attempt to wake each other up, Fishlegs was bright eyed and bushy tailed as usual. The Lords and their sons were up and picking at their plates, eager to get to work. The triplets were running around; with no nanny they were unsupervised most of the time and were relishing in the freedom. Elinor and Val sat at the head of the table talking quietly to themselves. They had woken up extra early, hoping to be able to go for a flight. It had been a week since any of the dragons had been properly ridden and they were growing restless. Hiccup had unwillingly agreed, after his mother had been the biggest supporter of the movement. Merida was nibbling on a piece of toast, too excited to really eat anything. Hiccup finally strode into the hall and was tackled to the floor by three redheads.

"Hiccup! Can A ride with yah?"

"Nae! A'm riddin' with Hiccup!"

"Nuuh! Tha's not fair! Yah got ta ride the last time, Hamish!" Merida loomed over the three, who shivered and turned to their sister.

"Scat yah wee devils!" She raised her arms in a 'shoo' motion and her brothers scrambled back to their seats. Merida held a hand down to Hiccup and pulled him to his feet.

"Sorry about them. They're just really excited."

"That's fine. I knew they would be. Boys," Hiccup called, getting their attention. "None of you are riding with me, it's only fair." The triplets pouted, but Val smiled.

"One of yah can ride on Cloudjumper with me." Hubert shot up and clung to her arm. The woman chuckled.

"One of yah can ride with me." Elinor offered, only to be shot down with two looks of horror. "Oh, ridin' a dragon with yer mother. Et's social suicide." Elinor rolled her eyes with her sarcastic retort.

"A'd rather ride Meatlug." Harris muttered.

"A heard tha'!" Elinor pointed a spoon at her son, spattering him with left over porridge. He flicked the gooey oats off his face and gave his mother a horrified look. Elinor snorted, then covered her mouth with a hand. And, of course, Merida's first reaction was to scold her.

"A princess does nae snort." She pointed a finger at her mother.

"A'm no' a princess. A'm a queen. An' a snort here an' there won't hurt anyone." Merida threw her hands in the air.

"Really mother?" Everyone laughed, full hearted, stomach cramping laughs. It was the first time in a week anyone had felt like laughing. Merida sighed, looking at everyone when her eyes finally landed on Hiccup. She couldn't help but smile at the shy man that stirred funny feelings in her stomach. The man who made her blood run thick in her veins. The man who made it hard to breathe when he got close. The man she knew she was falling in love with.

She sighed and smiled to herself, thinking about what she was going to do now that her home was built. This castle was great but, if she was being honest, it didn't feel like home anymore. The strange walls, and empty halls left a hallow feeling in her heart. Nothing would bring back her childhood home, and all it did was serve as a constant reminder that her father was gone. But when she was on Berk, with Hiccup, she felt like the hole in her heart wasn't as big, like it didn't ache as much. She felt safe. Even when invaders threatened her family…

'Wait. Tha' day. Tha' man. He wasn't working alone. What ef…' Merida's mind began whirling a million miles an hour.

"Hiccup!" She stood abruptly, the laughing stopped.

"Merida, what's the problem?" He placed a gentle hand on hers.

"Et's Berk."

"What are you talking about?"

"Et was never about DunBroch. Et was always about Berk. A can't believe et took this long ta realize!"

"Realize what, Merida?"

"Berk es en trouble. We need ta go back."

A/N Well, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!


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